The Mutt who Lived
by Teddylonglong
Summary: What if the Potters had a dog? Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore bashing, pairings not decided yet. Rating T just to be sure.
1. The Mutt who Lived

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore bashing.**_

* * *

"Headmaster," Severus blurted out upon reaching Albus' round office, "he's going to attack the Potters right now. I'm sorry; there was no time to warn them. I just hope you meant it when you said that you were going to ensure their safety."

Dumbledore cast him a sad look, and Severus knew immediately that the old wizard had played with him.

"I wanted you to keep them safe, and you promised," he all but growled, knowing that he owed the headmaster too much to openly attack him.

HP

Lily Potter was a young, muggleborn witch at the age of 21. She was happily married to Lord James Potter. While she was a Potions mistress, her husband was an Auror – together with his best friend, Sirius Black. Fifteen months ago, they had been blessed with a baby boy, Harry James Potter, and as a belated birthday present, Sirius had given three-month-old Harry a puppy, who had been born on the same day as him. He was a Crup terrier, a very powerful, magical canine, whom they named Inu.

Inu was not the most innovative of all dog names, as it simply meant 'dog' in Japanese; however, Lily, James and Sirius could not agree on anything better. Sirius' suggestion of 'Barkymort' was in no way better than James' idea of 'Melvin' or 'Get-down-from-the-sofa'.

HP

It was a dark, stormy night on this Halloween, something which Lily did not like at all. She had just taken Baby Harry to bed, where he cuddled close to Inu, and was about to read him a bed time story, when Inu suddenly began to bark, jumped out of their bed and dashed out of the room.

"Oh Merlin, what is it now?" she said in annoyance, trying to calm Harry down, who was now getting upset at his familiar's absence and began to whimper.

"Shush Harry, I'm sure Inu will be back in a blink," she said in a soothing voice, gently pushing an errand strand of hair out of Harry's face.

However, instead of having the dog dash back into the room, she heard how the entrance door was blasted open, and a moment later, James shouted, "It's him, Lily; take Harry and leave."

Too stunned to do as much as move, Lily just stood there in front of Harry, listening for any sound coming from downstairs. The first thing she heard was Inu's growling and felt very much reassured by the canine's presence. Then, there were noises of a small fight followed by sounds of fireworks as well as a loud scream. However, thank Merlin, it was not her husband who screamed.

HP

Inu dashed downstairs. He could sense that the man, who had just blasted in the entrance door, was evil. He was a Crup and at the same time one of two babies of the family, his family, which he was going to protect by all means possible.

He immediately attacked the man, biting his left leg, his right leg and finally his left foot, causing the man to curse and hiss in pain.

The evil man still managed to raise his arm and point a wand at his father, beginning to utter something – and Inu was well aware of what spells could do, as his mummy and daddy used them all the time. Inu jumped up high, caught the stick with his teeth, broke it into two and let it fall down onto the man. In a spectacular bout of accidental magic, he caused the wand to explode in a flash of brilliant fireworks. The man tried to escape the colourful, hot sparks in vain and dropped to the floor, letting out a final, heart-breaking cry.

_'He won't harm my family anymore,'_ Inu thought, contentedly, however, fully exhausted by the accidental magic he had cast. Ignoring the pain in his hind quarters, where one of the sparks had burnt him, he quickly made his way back into Harry's and his bedroom, where he crawled into bed.

HP

Lily observed how Inu slowly came back into the room and squeezed himself through the bars into Harry's bed, where the canine shook himself and slowly began to clean his fur, something that Lily knew was some kind of stress relief for the puppy. _'Thank Merlin, he seems to be all right,'_ she thought in relief.

"Lily, could you come down here for a moment please?" James suddenly called her, only to add in a calmer voice, "It's all right. He's gone."

However, when she climbed down the stairs, she stopped dead in her tracks. The evil wizard was not gone but was lying at the foot of the stairs, seemingly badly injured with burns all over his body. The entrance door was – as could be expected – hanging out of its hinges. The only important thing, however, was that her husband was all right and completely unharmed – just like Harry, Inu and her.

"Is he… dead?" she enquired, her voice quivering.

"He was just pointing his wand at me and began to utter the killing curse, when Inu attacked," James informed her. "He's a hero. He saved three lives tonight. I'll show you the memory in the Pensive later on, love. I'm going to kill Peter though," he blurted out in obvious anger. "Such a traitor."

Lily reached out for her husband's arm and pulled him close. "No James, you're not going to kill anyone, as Harry and I need you here and not in Azkaban."

"Of course, you're right as always," James replied, gently placing a kiss onto her forehead, before he headed to the fireplace, _'probably to call his fellow Aurors,'_ she thought.

"I'm going to call Moody," he announced.

"I'll go and read Harry his good-night story then," Lily replied, once more glancing at the evil wizard. "Are you sure that he's really dead?" she asked, just to be certain.

"Yes, absolutely," James confirmed, before he stuck his head into the fireplace.

When Lily returned to the nursery, to her surprise, Harry was gone and a dog looking like a twin of Inu was lying there in his stead. The two canines were fast asleep, huddled against each other.

Lily let out a horrified cry that made the canines open their eyes, and she thoroughly relaxed upon noticing the emerald colour of the new canine's eyes. While Inu's face was mostly black with a few brown spots, Harry's face was white, surrounded by black fur, where his hair was in his human form.

Only upon taking a closer look at the puppies did she notice that Inu had a burn mark that deeply scarred his skin leaving an unusual lightning-shaped scar on his hind quarters.

_'Oh, the poor cutie, he received that by saving our lives'_ she thought in surprise_._ _'Harry must be a natural Animagus though_.' While she and James had both managed the Animagus transformation, none of them was a natural Animagus. "Anyway, thank Merlin for Inu," she muttered, gently caressing the two canines' fur, before she noxed the lights_. 'Perhaps Harry sensed that Inu needed to be calmed down after what he did tonight, and he instinctively transformed?'_ she wondered, as she left the room in confusion.

When she returned downstairs, leaving the door slightly ajar, she heard her husband shouting at someone. Quickening her pace, she took in the situation with bewilderment. Alastor Moody, whom she knew to be James' and Sirius' boss, was standing next to the evil wizard's body, and her husband was glaring at the older wizard.

"Sirius was not our Secret Keeper," he growled. "Who in the world told you that? Lily," he turned to her using a softer voice, "please call Amelia and Sirius and ask them over instantly."

Lily immediately complied. As immature as James was when together with the other Marauders, he remained calm and knew what to do in an extreme situation like this, and that was one thing she loved about him. He always knew what to do.

HP

A few minutes later, Amelia and Sirius stepped through the fireplace, just when Hagrid arrived on the doorstep.

"Ye're alive," he blurted out, large tears running over his cheek.

"Why would we not be alive?" Lily asked, sharply.

"Ah, 'cause Dumbledore, 'e tol' me te take lil Harry to the Dursleys, 'cause ye were gone," Hagrid replied, slowly wiping a tear from his cheek.

"To the Dursleys?" Lily enquired, her eyes narrowing in anger.

"Yeah," Hagrid confirmed.

"All right, thank you Hagrid, but as we're very much alive, you can return to Hogwarts and tell Dumbledore that I'll deal with him later on," Lily said in a dangerously quiet voice that was laced with anger.

"Dumbledore also was the one who called me telling me that Voldemort had gone to attack you and that Sirius was a traitor," Moody spoke up.

"Peter!" Sirius suddenly growled and made an attempt to leave the house through the entrance door; however, James grabbed his arm and held him close.

"No Siri, you're not going after Peter. Leave that to the Aurors on duty," he instructed his best friend.

"Harry needs his godfather here and not in Azkaban," Lily concurred.

_tbc... ?_

_Sorry - this story is not very Christmas-like - still, I wish you a merry Christmas!_

_Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Lily on the war path"._


	2. Lily on the warpath

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

Lily sighed in relief, when Moody took Voldemort's body with him. _'Thank Merlin,'_ she thought, still shaken by the events of the evening, however, glad that everything had turned out so well. Nevertheless, she felt extremely upset by Dumbledore's activities.

Amelia and Sirius remained for an hour, before they returned home, pointing out that it was already after midnight.

Several hours after the fateful events of the evening, Lily and James were still sitting in their cosy kitchen discussing everything. Main topic were Inu's actions to efficiently protect them on the one hand and Dumbledore's activities on the other.

All of a sudden, the fireplace flared up, and the Potters looked over in surprise. At the same time, Inu came running downstairs, positioned himself in front of the fireplace and barked.

"Who might that be? It's almost three o'clock in the morning," Lily blurted out, when her mentor, Minerva McGonagall, stepped out of the fireplace.

Inu immediately quieted down, waggling his tail at the kind witch, who leaned down to gently pet his ears.

"Minerva," Lily greeted her, surprised but also very happy to see the older witch.

"Lily, James," Minerva blurted out, as she stepped over to her and pulled her into a bear's hug. "Thank Merlin it was all just rumours and you're alive. I'm sorry to intrude at this time of the night, but I just had to see that you're all right with my own eyes," she added in a soft voice.

"What exactly were the rumours and where did they come from?" James enquired, as he poured their guest some tea.

Minerva let out a deep sigh, before she explained how Dumbledore had floo called her instructing her to head to the Dursleys' residence. "He said that the two of you had been killed by Voldemort, that only Harry had survived and that Hagrid would take him to his muggle relatives. I protested and told him that, assuming that he was talking facts and not just assumptions, Harry had a godfather, a godmother and a granny, and that I would love to raise him at Hogwarts. He didn't want to listen. I was so happy, when Hagrid arrived in front of the Dursleys' doorstep and told us you were alive. I just had to come here right away. I'm sorry for intruding at this time of the night."

"That's fine. We're up anyway," Lily replied, gently. "I'm glad to see you."

"I still don't get it," James all but growled. "How could Dumbledore know that Voldemort was going to attack tonight, and how did he believe he knew the outcome of the attack?"

"Apparently, Severus told him about the attack. He was devastated, but it was too late to do anything about it. It was Severus who had advised Albus to send you into hiding in the first place by the way."

"Is he a Death Eater?" James enquired, sharply.

"He made a grave mistake, but then he regretted what he did and became Albus' spy," Minerva explained.

"Maybe it was our fault that he joined the Death Eaters in the first place, I mean Sirius' and my fault," James said, pensively. "We probably drove him there by our actions in fifth-year."

Minerva did not reply but not contradict either, and Lily nodded, gravely.

"I will thank him for warning us and sending us into hiding; however," she added, thoughtfully, "I'm going to put up a huge fight with Albus. How dare he tell everyone that Sirius was a traitor? He himself cast the Fidelius charm with Peter as the Secret Keeper. Moreover, how could he assume that we were dead, and why in the world did he want to send Harry to the Dursleys? They're explicitly excluded in our will. Alice is his godmother and you his surrogate granny. Above all, he should have come and check out the situation."

"Lily, I fully agree," Minerva said, grimly. "His manipulations have gone too far this time."

"Please excuse me for a moment. I just want to look in on Harry, considering that Inu came downstairs barking at the fireplace," Lily said and quickly hurried upstairs with Inu following on her heals.

To her surprise, Harry was back in his human form and fast asleep. For an instant, she wondered if she had dreamed seeing him in the form of a canine, however, she quickly dismissed the idea, certain about what she had seen. Inu climbed into bed and crawled under the covers to sleep, cuddled against Harry's stomach.

"Our hero," Lily whispered, smiling, before she returned to the kitchen.

HP

While James went to the ministry in the morning, even if it was a Sunday, he promised Lily to be back at lunchtime at the latest, considering that they had not slept at all that night. Lily spent the day at home with Harry and Inu, deep in thoughts. She also tried to treat the scar on Inu's backside with potions, however, to no avail.

_'Oh well, that'll remind us forever what a hero he is,'_ she thought, smiling as she observed the two babies interact.

"Harry," she spoke up, as she recalled the previous night, "do you remember changing into a dog last night?"

Harry gave her a confused look, before he toddled over to Inu and hugged him close. "Inu," he said, smiling, causing Lily to inwardly grin. 'Inu' had been Harry's second word, right after 'Mum,' and James had been very put out about it, stating that Harry was supposed to say 'Dad' before the canine's name. _'Perhaps he doesn't even remember the transformation,'_ she thought. _'Oh well, we'll see if it happens again some time.'_

Only when Harry and Inu took a much-needed nap after lunch, her thoughts returned to the question what to do with Dumbledore. _'As soon as James is going to come home, I'll head to Hogwarts,'_ she resolved. _'I need to thank Severus first and then speak with Dumbledore.'_ To her relief, Minerva had promised to join her for the conversation with the headmaster and to fully support her in the matter.

HP

When James did not return, while the babies were asleep, she decided to send a Howler to Dumbledore, even if only to possibly feel better afterwards.

_'Dumbledore, you manipulating old coot, how dare you make assumptions without even verifying them and play with people's lives believing you were infallible? Ignoring people's wills? Destroying a child's life? Lying to the Aurors to destroy another wizard's life? This time, you've gone too far. My husband and I will quit supporting you and your chicken order and never come back. You will get a trial soon and hopefully be rid of your position as headmaster even sooner.'_

Casting the Howler charm as forceful as possible, so that the whole school would hopefully be able to hear her shouting, she called asked Merlin, their large snowy owl, to take the letter to the headmaster of Hogwarts as fast as possible.

Merlin gave a short hoot and flew away. _'He's always fast,'_ Lily thought, smiling, as she observed the white dot on the sky grew smaller.

HP

James did not return before the late afternoon, and Lily had to try hard to not show how upset she was in front of the children, as both Harry and Inu were very sensitive to her moods.

Before she could say anything, James took her hands, looking very stern. "Lily, I'm sorry, but please hear me out," he said in a no-nonsense voice that made her look at him in concern.

"Frank and Alice have been attacked," he informed her.

Lily cast him an incredulous look. "But Voldemort is gone," she stammered in confusion.

"Death Eaters," James growled. "The Lestranges and Barty Crouch Junior. They went and tortured the Longbottoms into telling them where Voldemort went, which they – of course – couldn't. They simply told them that he was dead, and they didn't take it well. They tortured them into insanity."

"Where are they now? Are they dead?" Lily asked, urgently, fighting the tears, as Alice had been her best friend since her first day at Hogwarts.

"They're at St. Mungo's, but the healers don't have much hope to reverse it, as they've been tortured by the Cruciatus curse," James replied, letting out a deep sigh. "Padfoot and I went to see them, and we met Augusta Longbottom. She asks if we can take Neville in, as she's too old to raise a baby."

"Of course," Lily said, lightly. "He's my godson after all."

"I promised her to ask you," James informed her.

"Let's go and get him," Lily replied in determination, "provided that you're all right with it?"

"Yes, but perhaps you should go alone, and I'll watch Harry and Inu," he suggested, pensively. "Inu's wound might hurt if we took him through the fireplace so soon after receiving it."

"Oh, that's true," Lily agreed and instructed him, "Take good care of our babies. I'll be back soon."

HP

James played with Harry for a while, hoping that his wife would return soon. Somehow, he was still shaken by the events of the previous evening, and the news of the Longbottoms, which the Auror office received around lunchtime, when he was just getting ready to return home, did not help to raise his mood either.

"Inu is a hero," he told Harry in a soft voice. "He saved all our lives last night. Unfortunately, the Longbottoms did not have a hero like him in their home."

"Nene?" Harry asked, tentatively.

James nodded. "Yes, Neville's parents can't be with him now, and so, Mummy has gone to fetch Neville here, so he can live with us. Will you be a good brother to him?"

"Nene wif HawwynInu?" Harry blurted out in excitement, and while Lily seemed perfectly capable of understanding his baby speech, James could only guess what it meant.

_'Harry's magic must be really strong for him to be able to speak so much already,'_ he mused, knowing that Neville was not talking at all yet. Of course, he knew that Harry's magic was strong, even if he felt inclined to shake off Lily's observation of their son being a natural Animagus as a phantasy of her mind, which had to be confused after the events of the evening.

To his relief, it did not take long, before Lily returned with Neville and several boxes of clothes and toys.

"Nene!" Harry shouted in apparent excitement and toddled over to the fireplace in what seemed to be a fast pace for a fifteen-month-old, closely followed by Inu.

"Ha," Neville replied, equally happy to see his friend, and hugged Harry and Inu, who gently licked the boy's face.

HP

'_Thank Merlin they get along so well,'_ Lily thought in relief. She was absolutely shocked by the events of the last twenty-four hours, very sad about her best friend's fate, angry at Albus Dumbledore and uncertain how to keep her three children safe in the future.

Leaving the kids to play under James' supervision, she walked up to the nursery and added a second bed, another wardrobe and some additional items to accommodate her godson. The thought _'We could change the guest room into a nursery for Neville'_ crossed her mind, however, she quickly dismissed it, knowing that Harry and Neville were so close that they would surely prefer living together. _'When they're older, we can still give them separate rooms,'_ she resolved.

Suddenly, she heard the fireplace flare and Inu begin to bark. Letting out a deep sigh, she made her way downstairs to see who was calling.

HP

It was Minerva, who was just pulling the children into bear hugs followed by Inu.

"Good evening, Lily and James," she then said, a small tear leaking from her eye. "You got Neville here," she added in a soft voice, once the children dashed away to play again.

"He's my godson," Lily explained in an equally gentle voice.

"I'm sorry," Minerva apologized. "This is not really a social visit." Giving Lily and then James a stern look, she added, "Severus and I fear that you're not safe here. Even if you could and should renew the Fidelius charm, considering that – at least according to Albus – they have not caught Pettigrew yet, it would be safer for you if you came to Hogwarts."

"To Hogwarts?" James enquired in apparent surprise, quirking an eyebrow. "What would we do at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, I have some business to do at Hogwarts," Lily spoke up, her anger at the headmaster flaring up again. "I just didn't get around to talk to Dumbledore yet, but I'll have to have a conversation with him and give him a piece of my mind and some more."

Minerva nodded. "Understandable," she agreed, letting out a deep sigh. "Although your Howler could be heard all over the castle. Anyway, I have discussed Albus' actions of last night with Pomona, Filius, Severus and Poppy, and we believe that Albus should not remain the headmaster any longer. In fact, we have several offers for positions for the two of you, and we promise our support in ridding Albus of his position."

"What positions?" James asked, sounding suspicious.

"One point is," Minerva continued, "that Filius would like either of you to take over the Charms position, as he'd prefer teaching History of Magic to replace the ghost. The other point is that Severus would like to be solely responsible as a Potions Master and told me to ask Lily if she would be willing to become the Potions professor."

"On the one hand, I'd like that very much, especially as I intend to research and invent a possible cure for the Longbottoms, but on the other hand, I have to watch two fifteen-month-olds, and above all, doesn't Dumbledore have to agree as the headmaster even if he might not be on the position for much longer?" Lily enquired.

Minerva let out a deep sigh. "I know, and we need to apply to the Board of Governors to rid him of the position. This morning, I've had a long conversation with Godric Gryffindor, whose portrait is guarding the entrance to my private quarters. He relayed to me that as the heir of him and Rowena Ravenclaw, you are the owner of Hogwarts together with Lily. While Voldemort would be an heir of Slytherin, he is dead, even if Albus suggests that he's not really gone for whatever reason, but above all, Slytherin denies that he is his heir. Anyway, Godric told me that you should try to speak with Sopho, the Sorting Hat. He will be able to get rid of the headmaster and select a new headmaster or headmistress for you."

Lily and James exchanged a look. "This sounds like a fairy-tale," Lily finally spoke up.

"I know that the Potters are the heirs of the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw family," James said, thoughtfully. "That is true. Perhaps we should go and talk to Godric. His portrait should be at Potter Manor as well. If I may suggest something," he began, however, slowly trailed off.

Seeing the two witches look at him in expectation, he explained, "We could set up our own school at Potter Manor. The manor is large enough for a few hundreds of students, we're currently still employing about two dozen house-elves, and we have the financial means for such a project. The manor has a huge library rivalling that of Hogwarts, we have greenhouses, horses and a proper Quidditch pitch. We just need some qualified professors."

"I'm in," Minerva agreed immediately. "As much as I love Hogwarts, I'd like the challenge in spite of my age, and I'm sure that several of my colleagues would join us."

"Why don't we go and check out the manor?" James suggested. "You could still call your colleagues from there and invite them over."

Minerva readily agreed; however, Lily decided to make a small trip to Hogwarts to speak with Severus and the headmaster first. "I really have to pick a bone with Dumbledore," Lily added, anger at the headmaster pressing itself to the front of her mind at the mere thought of the old wizard. "Please take the children with you and ask Gina to make dinner for everyone. I'll take Inu with me."

When Minerva and James readied themselves to take one of the boys each through the fireplace, Lily apparated to Hogsmeade with Inu on her arm, and together, they walked up to the castle. _'Hogwarts is beautiful,_' Lily could not help thinking, _'but as long as Dumbledore is the headmaster, it's better if we set up our own school, and Potter Manor is almost a castle itself.'_ Deep in thoughts, she climbed up to the headmaster's office with Inu running ahead, surprised when the gargoyle simply jumped out of her way. '_Thank Merlin,'_ she thought in relief. _'I forgot to ask Minerva for the password.'_ Only when she stood in front of the door to the headmaster's office, the thought that she had forgotten to speak with Severus beforehand crossed her mind, and she decided to speak with him at a later time.

HP

"Lily," Dumbledore greeted her, and Lily had the impression as if the headmaster was not exceedingly happy to see her.

"Dumbledore," she all but growled, refusing the offered lemon-drop with an impatient wave of her hand. She stared at the old wizard in anger. Apparently realising that he had done something wrong, he looked all of his one hundred and forty years. '_Oh well, I hope he realises it, and he deserves everything he gets,'_ she thought, grimly.

HP

Inu lightly growled at the old wizard. _'He's not as pure as he seems,'_ he thought. Even if he could not recall having me the man before, he suddenly knew several things about him, things which he had done during his youth. '_He was responsible for his sister's death,' _he realised and glared at Dumbledore in confusion. _'Why do I even know such a thing?'_ he wondered. '_I'm only fifteen months old.'_

HP

"Headmaster," Lily began to speak, her voice laced with anger at the old wizard. The fact that Inu continued to growl at Dumbledore only fuelled her feelings. "How dare you," she continued, "send Hagrid to take Harry to the Dursleys without checking what happened in the first place and without consulting our will in the second? How could you just simply assume that we were dead and Harry alive? Did it fit well into your manipulative plans or what?" Intensifying her glare at the old wizard, she continued, "Then you go ahead and accuse Sirius of being a traitor in spite of having cast the Fidelius charm by yourself? How dare you play with people like that?"

"Ah but Lily…" Dumbledore began to speak; however, Lily interrupted him, not caring how rude she appeared.

"Why in the world did you even assume that we were dead and Harry survived? Is there any reasonable explanation apart from your newest plan of manipulation?" she shouted at the old wizard.

"Lily…" he tried in vain to interrupt her tirade.

"Don't Lily me. We're going to have a trial about this," she threatened in a no-nonsense voice. "I've had enough of your manipulations. Moreover, I strongly advise you to retire as headmaster before we make you retire."

"Ah but Lily," the headmaster began anew, however, was interrupted by none other than Godric Gryffindor.

"Dumbledore," the ancient wizard spoke up from his portrait. "Young Lily is completely right, and you've forfeited your position as headmaster of Hogwarts. Please vacate your office at the next opportunity."

"Ah but Godric, I believe that it doesn't lie within the power of a portrait to dismiss headmasters," Dumbledore disagreed. "If Mrs. Potter wishes me to retire, she must write to the Board of Governors."

Suddenly, Lily remembered that Inu was with her and turned her head to look what the canine was doing only to realise in surprise that the Sorting Hat had left his spot on the shelf and was hovering in front of Inu. Dog and Hat stared at each other, and the Hat finally said, "One day, I might choose you as the headmaster, dog hero, but then, I need you to attend Hogwarts first, together with your twin brothers."

To Lily's amusement, Inu returned a soft woof and rose onto his hind paws to give the Sorting Hat's brim a quick lick.

'_How strange,_' she thought, as she observed the scene. Knowing that there was nothing else she could say to Dumbledore, she quickly excused herself and left the room with Inu running ahead as usual.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "The manor"._


	3. The manor

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**A.N.**: To those who are not friends with me on Facebook - **Inu** is neither a phantasy dog nor an Animagus. He is my own doggy, who agreed to play one of the major roles in this story._

* * *

Lily hurried back to Hogsmeade and, cradling Inu close, apparated right to Potter Manor. Ever since James' parents had died in an attack by Voldemort, they had postponed visiting the manor again; they knew, however, that the house-elves had renovated the place and the goblins had greatly improved the security on James' instruction, and she did not mind living here from now on let alone having their own school at the manor. _'The main point is that I'll be able to look after Harry and Neville… and Inu of course,'_ she added as an afterthought. _'We could have a primary school and play school with it to raise Harry and Neville together with their year mates,'_ she contemplated, feeling delighted at the prospect of being able to implement her own ideas into the new school.

When Lily and Inu entered the manor, Gina, the head house-elf of the Potter family, greeted her in the entrance hall.

"Mistress Lily, Gina is very happy to have Mistress Lily, Master James and little Master Harry here," the elf blurted out in apparent happiness.

"Little Master Neville is going to live with us as well," Lily lightly corrected her, "and I believe that you know Inu."

"Of course, hello Inu," Gina gently welcomed the canine, who sat on his behind to gently lick the elf's face, which he could just barely reach.

"Shall Gina accompany you to the parlour, where Master James and the little masters are together with Professor McGonagall?" Gina offered, and Lily gladly agreed.

When she entered the parlour, she could not help smiling. While James and Minerva seemed to eagerly discuss something, the two toddlers were fast asleep on the sofa, each with their head on Minerva's lap and lightly covered with soft blankets.

"Shall I take them to bed?" Lily asked, causing James to pat the spot on the sofa next to him.

"No love, sit down for a moment, please. We wish to discuss something with you first," he replied in a soft voice. "They're fine here for the time being."

Only when she sat down on the sofa, she realised that a plan of the manor was spread out on the table, onto which James or Minerva had added their own plans for a possible school.

They quickly explained what they had discussed so far, before James suggested for Minerva to invite her colleagues.

"James," Lily spoke up, frowning, "are they all included in the wards? Don't you have to add names to the book in your father's office, oh well, your office, to allow them entrance? At the same time, please delete Albus Dumbledore from the book."

"Oh, that's right," James replied, pensively, before he motioned Minerva to follow him into his office, which he had never used so far.

Instead of accompanying them, Lily decided to take the children to bed and called Gina, who immediately arrived and carried Neville upstairs, while she cradled Harry close.

HP

"Oh Merlin, everything reminds me so much of Charlus and Dorea," Minerva suddenly said, a small tear leaking from her eye. "They were wonderful people and good friends of mine. They were both classmates of mine, did you know that?"

"Oh, I wasn't aware of that, but yeah, the manor still seems like their place, not ours," James agreed, before he returned the conversation to the topic at hand. "Who do you think we should invite?" he enquired, readying his quill to write into the book of admissions.

"Severus, Pomona, Poppy, Flitwick, Rolanda, maybe also Remus and Sirius," Minerva suggested.

Only Pomona Sprout, Severus Snape and Filius Flitwick were missing on the list, and James quickly added them, before he crossed out the name 'Albus Dumbledore' and held out a small box in the form of a phoenix to Minerva. "Floo powder," he added on her questioning look, causing the witch to chuckle.

Pointing her wand at the box, she quickly transfigured the phoenix into a canine, which had the form of a Crup, before she accepted the floo powder and began to call her colleagues.

HP

When Lily returned to the parlour, knowing that all three babies were fast asleep in the nursery, Severus, Sirius, Remus as well as several people, who had been her teachers at Hogwarts, were assembled. To her surprise, even Gina, the head house-elf, was attending the meeting.

"James," Remus spoke up, after Lily had greeted everyone, "I won't be able to become a teacher at your school. Have you forgotten about my furry problem?" he asked in apparent disbelief.

"Of course not," James replied, smirking. "Have you forgotten about a certain room in the cellar, Moony?"

"Do you think that it's safe enough?" Remus enquired, seemingly sceptical.

"It is," Sirius spoke up in a firm voice.

"All right then," Minerva spoke up, glancing around. "Who would be willing to give up their current jobs and work here at our new school?"

To Lily's surprise, everyone raised their hands in apparent eagerness.

"All of you," the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts stated, contentedly. "So, we have Poppy as the healer, who is also able to brew potions if she has time and who could teach a Healing class for the upper years, preferably as an elective."

Poppy nodded, smiling, and Minerva continued. "Severus, if you don't mind, I suggest that you teach Potions. You're good at Defence as well; I know that, but Sirius and Remus are rubbish at Potions I'm afraid."

Everyone chuckled, and Severus nodded his agreement. "If Lily doesn't want to teach?" he enquired.

Lily shook her head. "At least not as long as Harry and Neville are so small," she replied, firmly. "To any other class, I could take them with me, but not to a Potions classroom. The fumes coming from dunderheads' cauldrons to speak with Severus could endanger them too much."

"Now," Minerva continued, "Pomona for Herbology, Sirius for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Filius for Charms or History of Magic, I'd like to continue teaching Transfiguration, James as the headmaster..." She slowly trailed off, giving her colleagues a questioning look.

"I could teach Care of Magical Creatures," Remus spoke up, questioningly.

"No," James suddenly blurted out, causing everyone to look from Remus to him in apparent surprise.

"Ah, sorry, Remus, yes, that would be brilliant, but I'm not going to be the headmaster. Minerva, would you be willing to become the headmistress please? You have decades of experience, while I'm completely new to this," he explained.

Minerva remained pensive for a moment, before she agreed. "If you are going to teach Transfiguration?" she enquired, giving him a sharp look.

"All right," James agreed. "Now for Lily, I suggest that you become the headmistress of our primary school. The primary school could be a simple day school with magical children from the age of four onwards."

"Only if we take muggleborn children as well," Lily replied, smiling. '_Oh Merlin, how I would have loved to attend a magical school instead of our muggle primary school,'_ she thought.

"Lily," Flitwick spoke up, "you were my best student in Charms over the last twenty years. Will you be willing to help charming the book of all magical students to alert us if any muggleborn student displays accidental magic? That way, we could talk to the parents at an earlier time and allow muggleborn students to receive the same primary school education as children from magical families."

Everyone agreed and decided to have the school begin from the following school year onwards, so that they were going to have nine months to prepare everything.

"When are you going to retire from Hogwarts?" James enquired, giving the Hogwarts professors a questioning look.

"Immediately," Minerva spoke up in determination. "After what Albus did on Halloween, I do not feel inclined to work together with him another day."

Her colleagues agreed – everyone except for Severus.

"I'm sorry," he spoke up, "but for me, the situation is not as easy, as I owe Albus greatly. He saved me from Azkaban, when all the Death Eaters were put to court."

"I will vouch for you," James spoke up in a clear, firm voice, "and my wife will also support you," he added.

Lily noticed how Sirius cast his best friend a surprised look, however, when she nodded in Severus' direction, he seemed to relax.

"I will," she added, verbally, just when Inu dashed into the room and stood in front of her, locking eyes with her.

"Do you want me to come with you, Inu?" she asked, gently, causing the canine to waggle his tail.

"Please excuse me for a moment," she apologized and hurried behind Inu, who led them into the nursery, where Neville seemed to be stuck in a nightmare. She gently woke the boy up and spoke with him in a soothing voice, gently easing him back into sleep. "Thank you, Inu," she whispered to the canine, who gently licked her hand and climbed back into Harry's bed.

"Poor Neville had a nightmare," she informed the others, once she was back in the parlour.

"We've just discussed that tomorrow morning, we're going to hand in our resignations to Albus and will come here, as soon as we've finished packing," Minerva informed her. "The first thing that James and I must do is to apply for the new school to the Ministry of Magic. Everyone, please think about a name for our school before we meet here, let's say at lunchtime tomorrow."

"We need a copy of the book of magical children," Severus reminded her.

Minerva nodded. "Yes, I know, and I'm going to unobtrusively make a copy, when I go and speak with Albus upon our return to the school. I will also send Malcolm to his office to copy all the information about our current students and their magical and possibly muggle guardians," she promised.

"That's good. I'll ask Cicero to assist Malcolm," Severus promised. "Perhaps Misty could help, too, although I suppose that she'll be busy packing your office, Poppy? Just as Cicero will be busy packing up my private belongings from my lab."

"Somehow, I feel sorry for our students though," Poppy spoke up.

"That's Albus' problem though. He still has Hagrid, Sybill Trelawney, Argus Filch and some others left," Pomona spoke up, smirking.

"If you wish," Severus said, pensively, "we could offer to take the current seventh-year students from January onwards. Perhaps we'd even be able to hire some good ones right out of school."

"Is one of you able to teach them in, for example, Arithmancy or Ancient Runes?" Minerva enquired, sharply.

"I could teach these two subjects," Remus offered, causing everyone to agree.

"Perhaps," Lily spoke up, pensively, "we could hire Neville's grandmother to teach the subject of Magical Etiquette to the muggleborn students, provided that there are any."

"Not only to the muggleborns," Minerva added. "Some children, who have grown up in a magical environment, need it as well. I'll speak with Augusta at the next opportunity."

"Do you want to have houses like at Hogwarts by the way?" Pomona suddenly enquired.

"No!" Lily and Severus replied, simultaneously.

"Thank Merlin," Poppy sighed, smiling.

"Definitely not," Minerva agreed. "Godric once told me that they merely divided the students into houses to be able to oversee them more easily, not to provoke the house rivalry Hogwarts has seen during the last decade."

"We should still put up one class teacher for each year as the responsible person, to whom the children can turn at any time," Poppy said, pensively.

"As long as we don't have many students, they can always come to Minerva and me as the headmistresses for the older and younger students," Lily disagreed. "Only if the number of students rises too much, we need to think about it."

"I hope that we receive about 90 percent of the current Hogwarts population," Minerva added, smirking, "even if Albus still has many friends."

"Lily," James spoke up, thoughtfully, "I believe we should inform the Daily Prophet about Albus' activities during the Halloween night."

Lily nodded, grimly. "Don't worry, James, I won't let Dumbledore get away with it," she promised in a firm voice.

"Oh, he won't, anyway," Minerva added, smirking, before she and her colleagues returned to Hogwarts for a last night.

HP

"This is going to be a lot of work," James sighed, when they were in bed an hour later.

"It's going to be great fun though," Lily replied, smiling. "I wished I could be a fly on the wall when Albus receives all these resignations."

"That's true," James agreed, grinning. "Oh, by the way, I asked Gina if we needed more house-elves, considering that Minerva and some others are going to bring their personal elves with them, and Gina told me that some of the elves wished to marry and have children, but that they couldn't do that without our consent. So, I promised her that we would renew the family bond with them and allow them to marry first thing tomorrow morning."

"All right," Lily agreed, sleepily. "Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, Mummy," James replied in a soft voice, gently pulling her into his arms.

HP

When Lily, James and the children were having breakfast, an owl brought the Daily Prophet.

_'The Mutt who Lived defeats You-Know-Who',_ screamed the headline in red letters. Below was a huge photograph of Inu and another that showed his back with the scar in the shape of a lightning bolt.

_'So far, if Lord Voldemort AKA You-Know-Who went to people's homes with the intention of killing someone, he always succeeded. Not this time, as there was this dog, Inu Potter, who did not only defeat the evil wizard in protection of his family but survived the feat with as much as a scar on his behind.'_

The following article described everything about Inu's victory over Voldemort, pointing out that Inu – the Mutt who Lived – was the hero of the magical world.

"I wonder who told them so much," Lily said, frowning at the details of the article.

"Moody I suppose?" James guessed.

"Don't you think he should have asked us beforehand?" Lily replied, feeling slightly angry at the old Auror.

"Oh well, he didn't exactly take it well that Sirius and I quit our jobs, especially now with Frank and Alice gone," James replied, smirking. "Perhaps it was his revenge."

After breakfast, the Potter family explored the manor, on the one hand to show it to the children and Inu, on the other hand to see which parts could be used for what purposes.

HP

At the same time, Minerva and her colleagues visited the headmaster to hand in their resignations.

Dumbledore greeted them in surprise, seemingly overwhelmed enough upon seeing the four heads of the houses visit him together with Poppy and Rolanda to completely forget to offer lemon drops to the group.

"I came to hand in my resignation letter," Minerva was the first to speak up, placing a parchment in front of him onto the table.

"Me as well," Pomona added, placing her letter on top of Minerva's.

While the others continued the process, Minerva unobtrusively copied one of the large tomes residing in the shelf right next to her.

Albus stared at him in apparent disbelief. "You can't do that," he stammered, causing several of her colleagues to snort.

"We can do that, and we're just doing it," Minerva informed him.

"You have an obligation to teach the students," Albus protested. "You signed a contract."

"By dealing with the Potters like you did, you've shown us enough for us to know that we do not wish to work together with you any longer," Filius added in a strict voice.

"You can't do that," Albus repeated, looking at her.

"I'm sorry, Albus," Minerva replied in a firm voice. "You'll have to look for new teachers to replace us."

"How am I going to replace so many of you at the same time?" the headmaster enquired, giving her a pleading look.

However, Minerva remained firm. "That's not our problem. We're going to set up our own school."

"Or do you wish to retire?" Pomona enquired.

"No," Albus retorted in apparent determination.

With that, the group took their leave and returned to their private quarters to pack the rest of their belongings and step through the fireplace to Potter Manor.

"Godric, just in case there is no portrait of you at Potter Manor, I'm going to take you with me," Minerva told the founder, knowing that Poppy would also bring her portrait of Helga Hufflepuff.

"Why don't you take the painting of the four of us from the staff room?" Godric enquired. "We'd love to oversee your new school, and maybe at some stage, all of you can come back to Hogwarts, once Mr. Too-many-names-Dumbledore has retired."

Minerva agreed and sent Malcolm to fetch the painting and take it straight to Potter Manor.

By the time she stepped out of the fireplace in the entrance hall of Potter Manor, her colleagues were just discussing with Lily and James where to place the portrait of the four founders of Hogwarts.

"Let's place it into the staff room, just where it was before," she voiced her opinion, causing everyone to agree.

"Now my next question," Severus spoke up, "is what we're going to name the school?"

Silence followed, which was only broken by the arrival of an old barn owl that was carrying a series of red letters – one for each of them except for the children and Inu.

To Minerva's amusement, all of the Howlers began to shout at almost the same time, however, it was not exactly the same time, and it was simply impossible to understand as much as one clear word in all the shouting. The only thing that quickly became clear was that it was Molly Weasley's voice that did the shouting.

"Oh well, never mind," Severus sneered, once the Howlers had crumbled into ash and vanished into thin air. "I don't believe that we missed anything important."

"That woman," Minerva added, shaking her head in annoyance.

"How about the New Hogwarts School for Magic?" Rowena spoke up from the portrait that was still leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Rubbish," Godric bellowed from next to his wife. "There's only one Hogwarts. However, since Merlin was my grandfather, James is also an heir of Merlin. Why don't you name the school after him?"

After a longer discussion about a possible name, everyone decided on "Merlin Academy for Magical Arts (MAMA)", and Minerva and James headed to the Ministry of Magic to apply to the Department of Education for the permission to set up of their new school MAMA.

Griselda Marchbanks quietly listened to their explanation, before she replied, "I am very sorry, dears, but Albus Dumbledore in his function as the head of the Wizengamot has demanded that no other school apart from Hogwarts should be granted permission."

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Sorry if this chapter was boring. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "The Merlin Academy for Magical Arts"._


	4. The Merlin Academy for Magical Arts

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"Excuse me, Griselda, but who is the head of the Department of Education, you or Albus?" Minerva asked in an upset voice. "Do we really have to make Amelia and Moody hurry with the trial against Albus to rid him of the position as head of the Wizengamot, before we'll be able to set up our school? Please consider the poor students, who won't be able to finish their NEWTs and OWLs this year. Albus won't be able to properly educate them in the near future, considering the dunderheads of colleagues he has left."

_'Oh Merlin, I've spent too much time with Severus,'_ she thought in annoyance at her own choice of words.

"And your school is going to open its doors exactly when?" Griselda enquired, strictly.

"Originally, we decided on September next year," Minerva admitted; "however, at least for the fifth through seventh classes, we'll commence in January."

"Very well," Griselda decided, "you have my permission for the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts. Please keep me updated about the teachers and the classes that are taught at the school. I need as many details as possible."

"I am going to be the headmistress with James as the deputy headmaster," Minerva informed her and listed up the other teachers.

_'Thank Merlin,'_ she thought, when she and James returned to the manor, a parchment with the permission for the MAMA tucked into her robe pocket.

HP

In the meantime, Lily had floo-called Alastor Moody and Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and his deputy, as well as Rita Skeeter, a reporter from the Daily Prophet, who had been a few years before her at Hogwarts. She had invited Moody and Amelia for two o'clock the same afternoon and Rita for three o'clock.

The conversation with Amelia and Moody was short, as they already knew everything about the events of Halloween, considering that Lily and James had called them to Godric's Hollow the same evening. They merely informed them about Dumbledore's behaviour in the aftermath.

"I always thought highly of Albus, but lying to me about Sirius was a no-go," the gruffy Auror voiced his opinion, only to add, "Amelia will see to it."

"Exactly," Amelia agreed and promised to set up a trial for the old wizard within the month.

"I still have to pick a bone with you," Moody added, gruffly, "as you cost me two of my best Aurors, but if you ever need help with your school, we'll support you," he informed Lily, before he readied himself to step into the fireplace.

Inu let out a warning growl, before he stood in front of Moody and looked up to him.

"It's all right, Mutt," Moody told him, causing Inu to turn to Amelia and lick her hand.

"Amelia, I believe that was an invitation to join us and Sirius in the evenings, whenever you can get away from your job," Lily told the friendly witch, who smiled in return.

"If you're sure, I'll gladly follow the invitation," she replied, promising to come over later in the evening.

HP

The conversation with Rita Skeeter, in which Minerva, James and Sirius joined Lily, took much longer, as they informed her about everything that had happened ever since Inu had defeated Voldemort.

At the same time, they asked her to put up an announcement for the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts and provided her with an image of the crest for the new school, which consisted of a photograph of Inu, taken at the edge of the lake in the manor's garden, surrounded by small letters saying _'Where there's a will, there's a way'_.

"Perhaps we should also mention the Howlers," Severus spoke up and, seeing Lily and Minerva nod, explained about the Howlers from Molly Weasley, suggesting to add a comment that they would not take children from families who did not morally support the school.

"No," Lily contradicted. "We don't want to step down as low as Molly Weasley's level, and her children are Arthur Weasley's as well, and he is a very gentle man. He would never act like her."

Everyone agreed, and Minerva demanded to have the articles sent to her for proof reading and correction before printing.

"Please give me an hour, and you'll have your text," Rita agreed, smiling.

HP

In the morning, the headline of the Daily Prophet screamed in red letters, _'The Merlin Academy for Magical Arts (MAMA) – the new rival to Hogwarts'_

The subtitle added, _'Dumbledore – greatest manipulator of the time'_

The whole front page as well as pages 2 and 3 told the readers everything about Dumbledore's behaviour and his attempted manipulations during the Halloween night, which resulted in the setup of a new school for magic. The articles ended with an announcement and offer for immediate registration for the school:

_'The Merlin – named after the ancestor of the Potters, Great Merlin – Academy for Magical Arts will be open for magical children from the age of four, for muggleborns from the time of their first display of accidental magic after the age of four. The MAMA crest will contain the face of our beloved hero, the Mutt who Lived, see below.  
The school will open its doors from the following school year onwards. Only students who are going to take their OWLs at the end of this school year and older will be accepted from January onwards.  
Applications for all years can already be sent to the following address:_

_Minerva McGonagall  
Headmistress of the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts  
Potter Manor  
Dragonsedge  
Wales'_

HP

The manor consisted of four wings, which were built around a small park. Minerva, James and Lily decided to use the South wing, in which the master suite and the nursery were situated, as the wing for the staff's private quarters. The West wing would hold the students' dormitories, the North wing, in which the library was situated, was going to be equipped with the classrooms. The East wing, of which the ground floor was dominated by the parlour, the dining room and – above all – the entrance hall, was going to be the wing, in which a large dining room as well as the common rooms were going to be situated.

From the dining room, a small staircase led to the kitchen, and from the kitchen back door, a path went out to the greenhouses, where the Herbology classes were going to take place. A classroom for the Care of Magical Creatures classes was going to be installed in the front part of the horse stables, which had not been used anymore ever since the number of horses had been reduced in James' youth.

During the two months before the official opening of the school, the teachers supervised the elves working on the various parts of the school that had to be re-built, and James even hired an architect to assist with the overall project.

Harry, Neville and Inu did not mind that their parents had a lot of work; they thoroughly enjoyed being together the whole day and, under the watchful eyes of Lissy, the elf who had already been responsible for James when he was small, spent many hours exploring the manor, which was quickly changing to a comfortable, modern school building.

HP

As Minerva had predicted, the parents of the current Hogwarts students were extremely upset about the teaching situation at Hogwarts. Even if Dumbledore tried to lay the blame onto Minerva and her crew, who had left the school without prior notice, everyone had read the Daily Prophet and was aware of the circumstances. Therefore, ninety percent of the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-year students immediately registered for the new school, ready to change to the MAMA from January 1 onwards.

Apparently, the parents of the younger students preferred to wait how the situation at Hogwarts would develop and how the reputation of the new school was going to be before deciding – even if the fact that Minerva McGonagall, whom they all knew from their own time at Hogwarts, was the headmistress was reassuring to say the least.

HP

At the end of the month, Albus Dumbledore's trial took place in the form of a Wizengamot meeting.

Dumbledore as the head of the Wizengamot opened the meeting, however, immediately passed word to Alastor Moody, who had called for the session in the first place.

"We have two points to deal with today," Moody announced, "first of all, Lord James Potter and Lord Arcturus Black have called for a vote of no confidence against Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore. Secondly, my deputy, Amelia Bones will lead a trial against the same Albus Dumbledore over accusations from the Potter family, the Black family and myself.

_'Oh well, they've probably all read about it in the Daily Prophet,'_ Lily thought from the visitors' gallery, where she was sitting together with Minerva, Sirius as well as Harry, Neville and Inu.

Moody shortly repeated the events of Halloween, how Albus Dumbledore had sent Hagrid to take Harry to his muggle relatives, assuming that his parents had perished in the attack by Voldemort.

"I wonder how he knew that the Dark Lord was going to attack in the first place," Lucius Malfoy spoke up, causing Lily to inwardly groan. _'Slimy git,'_ she thought in annoyance.

"He told us that he had received information from a non-disclosed source," Amelia spoke up, grimly.

'_I can't wait for him to get his trial,'_ Lily thought, knowing that Severus had given Amelia a large list of Death Eater names, who were due for trials during the next few months.

"And who might that be?" Malfoy enquired.

"Chief Warlock, do you wish to divulge information on this point?" Moody enquired, glaring at the old wizard, who apparently understood the warning.

"Not at this time, no," Dumbledore replied.

"Why in the world could you assume that we were dead and Harry alive?" James enquired.

"I knew that Lily tapped into the dark arts to cast a blood charm on the child that would help him survive while she sacrificed her life," Dumbledore replied in a firm voice.

"And you did not think you had to check out the situation before making assumptions?" James asked, incredulously.

"May I please?" Lily enquired and, upon receiving a nod from Alastor Moody, asked, "How dare you attempt to send Harry to the Dursleys? They're the worst muggles one can imagine, and they're excluded in our will. Why did you not only miss to check out if we were really dead but not even head to Gringotts to have our will read to you before acting? Plus, why did you even bother to do anything? You're neither a relative nor a friend of the family, and Harry has a godmother, a godfather, a granny, an honorary uncle along with many friends of the family. This is so absolutely ridiculous that I'm about to assume that you belong into a ward for people who've lost their minds."

"Above all," Arcturus Black spoke up, and everyone stared at the old wizard in apparent surprise. _'Oh right, James and Sirius were talking about that he never says anything on the Wizengamot,'_ Lily thought, "making himself the boy's guardian, deciding over his life and what else can be seen as an attempt of line theft." Apparently noticing the looks from all sides, he added, "This very well concerns me, as young Harry is the grandchild of my only sister, Dorea. Even if my irresponsible grandson was not the boy's godfather, I would have been in the game as his great uncle."

"That's true," James added, nodding his head in approval.

"It is indeed something that could be seen as line theft," Amelia spoke up in a firm voice.

"Moreover, why in the world did you tell Moody that my grandson was the Secret Keeper, although it had been you who cast the Fidelius charm in the first place?" Arcturus growled.

"You should know better than to lie to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Moody added, sounding equally grumpy.

The meeting continued in this way for another thirty minutes, and Lily thought in confusion, _'What are they doing? This is neither a real Wizengamot meeting nor a trial, but something in between, which is not really well organised.'_ Nevertheless, she was contented when the vote of no confidence passed with a 90 percent approval, and Dumbledore was released as the head of the Wizengamot and as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Other than the loss of his positions, he did not receive any punishment, considering that his actions did not have any consequences whatsoever.

Lily was less pleased, however, when James was elected as Dumbledore's successor as Chief Warlock, knowing that he had already enough work as the deputy headmaster for their school on top of being the Transfiguration professor. Arcturus Black was elected as Dumbledore's successor as Supreme Mugwump.

'_Dumbledore is still the headmaster of Hogwarts,' _she thought, when the meeting ended and she left the room with a toddler on each hand and Inu on her heels. _'Oh well, I wonder if he already regrets that he didn't retire,'_ she thought in amusement at the many applications, which they had already received for the MAMA.

HP

The remaining weeks of the year passed in hectic, as there was much work left for last-minute preparations for the arrival of the fifth- through seventh-years. Only from these three years, they had received applications for around one hundred students, and during the last week of the year, the Christmas mood made quickly place for excitement and anticipation.

Nevertheless, the permanent residents of Potter Manor decided to hold a party on New Year's Eve, to which everyone could invite families if they wanted. While Pomona and Poppy invited her sisters for the evening, Sirius invited Amelia – who was already a permanent guest at the manor anyway and brought her niece, who was the same age as Harry and Neville. James invited Arcturus Black – without telling Sirius about the matter – and Arcturus, who was an Unspeakable, even brought a colleague, stating that Unspeakable Raros was a relative of Sirius and him as well.

Needless to say that many of the conversations that night revolved around the new school, and it was Arcturus who gave them a brilliant idea.

"Why don't you ask Nicholas Flamel if he would be willing to teach Alchemy as an elective subject?" he enquired, only to add, "At least until one of his students has taken their NEWTs and is willing to take over?"

"Do you know him personally?" James enquired. "That might help greatly."

"Yes, I know him," Arcturus replied, promising to ask the old wizard about the matter.

"It would be from September onwards then," Minerva spoke up, "and it would make a wonderful asset to our usual classes."

"I'll see to it," Arcturus promised, before Sirius addressed him in a strict voice.

"Who is Raros?" he enquired in a sharp voice. "I can't imagine anyone but Regulus, but he's dead."

"Is he now?" Arcturus asked, quirking an eyebrow at his grandson, before he excused himself.

HP

Minerva had arranged with the Department of Magical Transportation that the MAMA Express was going to leave from platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross station at two o'clock in the afternoon. They had decided on that specific time for two reasons – to not interfere with the Hogwarts Express, which was leaving from the same platform at eleven o'clock in the morning, and to have the students arrive around dinner time, as the train travel to the nearby station took about five hours.

The train station was located in the nearby magical village Dragonsedge. The village was about the same size as Hogsmeade and offered sufficient entertainment for the students to visit once a month. Conveniently, from Potter Manor, it was only a five-minute walk into the village and to the station.

HP

New Year's Day was a cold but sunny day. In the morning, James led the whole group of teachers along with the three seventeen-month-olds to the staff room for everyone to see the portrait, which the hose-elves had moved in front of the room on his request.

"I'd like to introduce you to my ancestor, Merlin," James spoke up, and everyone greeted the old wizard, exchanging a few words with him.

"Thanks my boy," Merlin told James, once everyone had left an hour later. "It's an honour to have your school named after me and to have my portrait transferred to such an interesting place. I appreciate it."

James gave his ancestor a slight bow, before he replied, "Oh you might regret it, as everyone will come to ask you if they need assistance. You'll probably have many admirers among the students, too."

HP

While Minerva, Pomona and Poppy took the toddlers out into the park to build a snowman after a short nap after lunch, Lily, James and Sirius made their way to the station, taking Inu with them for a much-appreciated walk. It was a bit too early, however, they preferred being on time, especially as it was the first time, and the students would not know how to get to the school.

When they were waiting on the otherwise deserted platform, Sirius suddenly transformed into his canine form and dashed away – only to return ten minutes later, out of breath and very grumpy.

"What happened?" Lily asked, gently.

"Wormtail," Sirius gasped. "It was him."

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome. I have posted a picture of the MAMA crest to my facebook group _ (Link is on my author's page).

_Next chapter: "Death Eaters"._


	5. Death Eaters

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"Peter," Sirius repeated, "he was together with a woman with red hair. She looked like Molly Weasley; I'm not sure if it was her though."

"Oh well, I can imagine that Dumbledore sent her to explore our school," Lily said, grimly, "but Peter? Do you believe that Dumbledore's sunken low enough to cooperate with Death Eaters?"

James shook his head. "I don't think so," he replied, reasonably. "It's a pity that he's not cooperative enough to send Fawkes after Peter though. A phoenix would surely be able to find that rat."

"I wonder…" Lily began, thoughtfully, "… Do you remember that Inu never liked Peter, no matter in which form?"

"Yes, he always growled at him," James concurred, giving her a questioning look.

"Perhaps we should have Inu check out the students before accepting them into the MAMA," Lily suggested, causing the others to stare at her in apparent surprise.

"That's a brilliant idea," James agreed, "even if too late for these ones," he added, just when the train pulled into the station.

HP

Just a mere instant later, the previously deserted platform was filled with students, laughter and excited talking.

"Hello students," James addressed the crowd using a Sonorus charm, as he lifted Inu onto his arms and stepped aside, so that everyone could see them. "Welcome to the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts. I am James Potter, the deputy headmaster, and this here is Inu, our school mascot. Please follow me up to the school.

While James led the crowd through the short avenue, which was flanked by trees and old looking stone walls, Inu slowly made his way through the students until he reached her and Sirius shortly before they arrived at the school.

=The students seem to be all right,= he informed them in a series of small woofs, which Sirius quickly translated for her.

"Thank you so much, Inu," Lily replied, smiling. "You're the best."

HP

Minerva and the other teachers were waiting for them in the entrance hall, where the headmistress greeted the students and led everyone to the newly made atrium, which rivalled the Great Hall in size and decoration.

Awws and ohhs could be heard from the students, when they entered the atrium and looked around with apparent curiosity. Not only the roof was charmed to look like the sky, but the walls were also charmed to allow the view onto the huge garden of the manor.

"There are no house tables, and you may sit where you wish," Minerva informed them, and with much excitement and corresponding noise, the students chose their seats together with their friends, while the teachers sat at the high table together with Harry and Neville.

They had long discussed the question if the teachers should just sit together with the students, only to decide against it, knowing that the students would probably prefer discussing things without having teachers sitting nearby. Occasionally, the professors would also find it necessary to speak about certain matters without waiting for their late-night tea after curfew.

"From the summer onwards, we will have younger students here as well, and then, you may join them at their tables if you wish," Lily told Harry and Neville. "There will even be four-year-olds, and you'll be two by then, and maybe you can sometimes play with them.

"HawwyNeneInu pway," Harry commented her remark, cheerily, before he stared at his plate, wordlessly vanishing his peas.

"Well done, Harry," Sirius blurted out, seemingly proud of his godson.

"Harry," Lily lightly scolded the boy. "It's important that you eat your vegetables."

"No wike peas," Harry countered, looking at Neville's plate, where the peas were suddenly replaced by carrots, causing Neville to tuck in with gusto, smiling broadly.

_'Oh Merlin, how powerful is Harry?'_ Lily thought, horrified at the willed display of magic of her seventeen-month-old son.

When everyone was finished eating, Minerva rose from her chair. "Now, the fifth-years will follow Professor Pomfrey to their common room, the sixth-years please follow Professor Sprout, and the seventh-years will go with Professor Snape. I believe that you know them all from your time at Hogwarts. They will show you the shortcut doors to your dormitories and also inform you about our in-house communication system within MAMA."

While the dormitories were in the West wing and the common rooms in the East wing, they had made shortcuts all over the manor, so that everyone, especially the teachers, would be able to get everywhere quickly. _'Even without these shortcuts, all places can be reached faster than at Hogwarts,'_ Lily thought, feeling very contented with their new school.

"Every room is equipped with a green point, a so-called wiz-to-wiz point," Minerva continued, pointing to one of the green points that were integrated into the wall of the Atrium at intervals. "Touch the green point with your wand and state the name of the person you wish to contact and your message, and a Patronus will be sent to the recipient. It will arrive in the form of Inu, our canine mascot. Those who are able to cast a Patronus themselves, may of course just do so without using the wiz-to-wiz points."

"Oh, can you demonstrate it please?" one of the fifth-year girls shouted with apparent eagerness.

Nodding in understanding, Minerva pointed her wand at the nearest green point and uttered, "Professor Pomfrey, it's time to take the fifth-years to their common room."

A mere instant later, a small dog manifested in front of Poppy and relayed the message – much to the students' amazement.

_'Oh Merlin, if our oldest students are so amazed by it, what are the younger ones going to say?'_ Lily thought with a feeling of foreboding. _'We're probably going to see lots of these Patroni travel through the school during the first few weeks,'_ she assumed, as she led her children back to the nursery for the night.

HP

Classes began in the morning, and during the next few weeks, the teachers had the impression as if the students were much better behaved than at Hogwarts.

"Probably due to the lack of the houses and the completely unnecessary rivalry," Minerva said, and everyone agreed.

'_Here, it would have been much easier to be friends with Severus,'_ Lily thought, feeling happy for her own children to be able to grow up at the MAMA. '_As much as I loved Hogwarts, our school is better,'_ she thought, _'especially without the meddling old coot being able to interfere in anything.'_

HP

It was during a short staff meeting two days later that Godric Gryffindor suddenly spoke up from the portrait of the founders of Hogwarts.

"Just so you know, Dumbledore sent Molly Weasley to spy on you on the day the students arrived."

"He what?" James growled, while everyone stared at Godric in disbelief.

"Well, she could not enter the school of course, but she was at the station, where she was hidden behind a tree and observed how the students arrived. Anyway, last night, she reported to Dumbledore that there were at least one hundred students arriving at Dragonsedge."

"And what is he going to do about it?" Lily growled in annoyance.

"He asked her to send her first-born to the MAMA to spy on you, and she agreed," Godric informed them.

Minerva nodded in apparent understanding. "Her first-born is Bill Weasley, and he should be eleven in the summer," she spoke up. "I suggest that we refuse him."

"No," James contradicted. "Let's invite all students, from whom we receive an application, to a short meeting with either you or me, of with Lily if the child is going to attend the primary school. We'll have Inu there, and he can either accept or refuse the kids."

"We'll have that Weasley bitch wait in the entrance hall though," Sirius spoke up in a firm voice, causing everyone to agree.

"Nevertheless, we should refuse the Weasley boy, even if Inu doesn't, because the child might look fully all right to him," Lily agreed with Minerva.

HP

On the following day, the application for William Weasley arrived, and Minerva sent an invitation for an admission interview in return, in which it said clearly that the headmistress or the deputy headmaster and the school mascot were going to have a short conversation with the applicant to approve or deny their admission to the MAMA, while the adult accompanying them had to wait in the entrance hall.

They had chosen a Saturday, so that Minerva and James were both able to attend the first admission interview for the new students, and Bill Weasley arrived with his mother on time.

Molly Weasley threw a temper tantrum, when she was told to wait in the entrance hall, shouting, "I can't have my baby go into the school just by himself. It's his first admission interview, and he'll need me."

"In that case, I'm afraid that we'll have to deny his admission in the first place," Minerva replied in a firm voice. "If students won't be able to come to school without having their parents around, they won't be able to study here."

"All right then," the redhead finally relented, advising her son, "Take good care of yourself."

"Self-cantered bitch," Lily growled from where she was sitting in the parlour together with the other teachers observing the scene. They had implemented a charmed screen, which could be used as a spy window to any room within the manor. Currently, it was displaying the entrance hall.

"Absolutely," Remus agreed, before he switched the screen to display the headmistress' office, which Minerva just entered with James, Inu and Bill Weasley in tow.

Minerva motioned the boy to take a seat behind her desk, and the boy complied, looking around with apparent curiosity.

"Why do you wish to attend the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts instead of Hogwarts?" Minerva enquired in her usual strict voice.

"Because my Mum said that the headmaster of Hogwarts was an old coot," Bill replied, sounding slightly uncertain.

"Do you even know what an old coot is?" James enquired, glaring at the boy.

Bill shrugged. "He's very old, but he comes to visit often. He came this morning, too, and Mum likes him," he admitted, only to add, "He promised to pay my school fees if I attended the MAMA."

Lily found it not surprising that Inu did not have a problem with the boy, as he was not evil at all, but was merely used by his mother. Nevertheless, Minerva and James decided to evade the trouble with the outspoken redhead and advised the boy to attend Hogwarts if his mother was good friends with the headmaster.

Finally, they accompanied the boy back to the entrance hall, and Remus quickly switched the screen back to display the only room in the manor that was not included in the main wards of the school but allowed even parents entrance.

HP

Needless to say that a Howler arrived first thing in the morning.

"How dare you refuse my son admission to your school?" Molly Weasley's voice shouted through the cellar room, where all post owls for the whole school arrived and were checked for jinxes and spells by the house-elves, before they were delivered to the teachers and students at the next meal time. "My son has done nothing wrong. If that is how you treat possible new students, you won't be able to make your school great like Hogwarts, which is the best and only school in the country anyway. I hope your school will be finished before the beginning of the new school year."

When the elves displayed the memory for Minerva and James to view, they stared at each other in disbelief.

"I will send a letter to Arthur Weasley to let him know about his wife's activities. I'm sure that he is not involved in this," Minerva said in a firm voice.

"Please do so," James agreed, sighing. "Tell him that we won't accept any of his children if he doesn't get a grip on his wife."

"You know," Minerva said, pensively, "maybe you should write as the Lord Potter."

"No," James disagreed, pointing out that she had been Arthur and Molly's head of house for seven years.

HP

After dinner the same day, Arthur Weasley personally arrived at the MAMA, and Minerva led him into her office, asking James and Inu to accompany them.

"I am so very sorry for my wife's actions," Arthur spoke up. "I'm sorry, Minerva, Lord Potter. Please do not hold Molly's actions against our children."

"We won't," Minerva assured him, "however, as long as Molly instructs your children to spy on our school for Dumbledore, I'm afraid that we won't be able to accept any of them."

Arthur let out a deep sigh. "I wish to separate from Molly. She's unbearable, and it's getting worse. The problem is that I would have to find a better paid job first in order to be able to support her and the children, which, at least at the ministry, is not possible."

"We're lacking several teachers," Minerva replied, thoughtfully. "Do I remember correctly that Arithmancy was one of your best subjects?"

A small smile crossed the man's face, before he replied, "Yes, that was my all-time favourite."

_'He'd be a good teacher, and Inu likes him,'_ Minerva thought, seeing that Arthur was gently petting the canine, and offered, "Would you be willing to become our teacher for Arithmancy then? I believe that your salary would be at least better than in your current position."

"Provided that you don't relay information about the school to your wife and Dumbledore," James added.

"I won't," Arthur promised, "and yes, I'd like that." He remained pensive for a moment before asking, "Would it be possible to bring my twins? They're going to be four in April, and my wife can't get along with them at all."

"Of course," Minerva reassured him and proceeded to make a contract with the young wizard who had once been one of her Gryffindor prefects.

HP

Arthur Weasley and his three-year-old twin sons moved into the school at the beginning of February. He had not divorced from Molly Weasley but had separated from her and had made it very clear that none of her children apart from the twins would be accepted at the MAMA, where he was going to become a professor.

The three Weasleys' arrival at the MAMA had two consequences, the first being that Howlers from Molly Weasley arrived in the post room on a daily basis. However, the elves just banished them with a flick of their hands.

The second consequence was that Harry, Neville and Inu absolutely adored the twins, who were two years and four months older than themselves and were able to teach them many things, which they had learned from their three older brothers.

Harry's and Neville's talking improved greatly, and the five toddlers – including Inu – became inseparable, much to everyone's amusement.

"I don't understand why your wife calls them trouble-makers," Minerva spoke up one day during lunch time, when the teachers observed how the twins gently helped Harry and Neville to a second helping of ice-cream.

"They do a lot of mischief, but they have their heart in the right place," Arthur replied, smiling, when they observed how Inu accepted some fruit from one of the twins' hand.

HP

During the following months, the trials against the Death Eaters took place. James as the head of the Wizengamot and Alastor Moody as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement held three trials per week and – with the consent of the majority of the Wizengamot – questioned the Death Eaters under Veritaserum. As a result, ninety percent of the wizards and witches, who were on the list that Severus had handed in to Alastor Moody, were sent to Azkaban. Only few Death Eaters, such as Peter Pettigrew, remained in hiding and could not be found. Severus himself did not have to undergo a trial, as Lily, James and Sirius confirmed to Moody that he had always been a spy for their side and had done his best trying to save the Potters' and other people's lives.

Only James, Sirius and Moody knew that Dumbledore had tried to accuse Severus of being a Death Eater nonetheless; however, Moody had decided to not prosecute him, stating that, even if he had made a mistake in the past, he had regretted his actions and done much good to make up for it.

When the last trial was over, James stood from his seat and addressed the remaining members of the Wizengamot.

"I am very sorry to have to say this, but during these last few weeks, I have realised that I don't have enough time to do this job perfectly while being the deputy headmaster and Transfiguration professor at the MAMA at the same time. I therefore wish to resign as the head of the Wizengamot, and I suggest Lord Greengrass as my successor."

Due to the lack of the dark party on the Wizengamot, a decision could be made much easier than it would have been before, and after a short discussion, Cygnus Greengrass was confirmed as the new head of the Wizengamot. He profusely thanked James for a very well-done job so far and for nominating him.

"Congratulations Cygnus, and no, it's me who has to thank everyone for their kind support during these last few months," James replied, smiling, causing everyone to applaude.

HP

"Thank Merlin you got rid of that job," Lily sighed, as more and more applications for the new school year arrived.

"At least we won't have any new students for sixth and seventh year," James replied, smiling, "and Minerva, Inu and I are already used to the interviews. By now, they only take five minutes, as Inu only needs a few seconds to assess the children."

"Thank Merlin," Lily replied, knowing that they had received at least thirty applications per year, and they still had to watch the book of magical children on a daily basis to spot any possible new magical children in muggle families.

"By the way, now that the twins are taking care of our triplets at least some part of the time, what do you think about giving our own a small one to look after?"

Lily let out a deep sigh. "I dread the day the twins are going to attend the primary school and our children can't. They won't take it well, but yes, I'd love that," she agreed, her expression brightening at the idea.

HP

The teachers had decided to separate the primary school into seven classes, each named after a magical animal. The four-year-olds, such as the twins, would go into the unicorn class, for the five-year-olds, there was the lynx class, and the older classes were named after a griffin, a phoenix, a hippogriff, a basilisk and a dragon.

They had hired four promising NEWT graduates, who would always watch two classes each. Only the dragon class for the ten-year-olds had one teacher for themselves, as they needed to be efficiently prepared for the classes at the MAMA.

"Oh Merlin, they're going to have fun," Minerva said to James after the interview of Nymphadora Tonks, who was going to be a member of the basilisk class and was a metamorphmagus. "Just think of all the mischief that girl can do."

"Let's just hope she won't get to know the twins," James agreed, grinning, as he thought, _'She seems to have forgotten that three of our professors are Marauders. Thank Merlin she doesn't know who was involved in the prank on the seventh-years last night.'_

"I wonder how Hogwarts is faring," Minerva brought him back to reality.

"Why don't you ask Godric?" James suggested, knowing that his ancestor often visited his own portrait in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts. Even if the founders of Hogwarts often advised the professors from their portrait in the staff room, just like Merlin did, he knew that they still cared a lot about their own baby AKA Hogwarts.

HP

"Ah, right now, Hogwarts only has about twenty students or less in each of the houses," Godric informed them, "and Dumbledore has sent an application to the Ministry of Magic to have access to your school restricted, stating that the number of students should be divided equally between the two schools."

"Does he even have enough teachers?" Minerva enquired.

"Apparently, he convinced the members of the Order of the Phoenix, who are still on his side, to come and teach at Hogwarts, including Molly Weasley," Godric replied, smirking. "There's another thing I must tell you though," he added, glancing at the triplet who was playing with the twins in the play corner on the head side of the staff room.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

**_Have a happy New Year!_**

_Next chapter: "A new year"._


	6. A new year

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes, who was already my familiar in my time," Godric continued, "is slowly getting fed up with Dumbledore's behaviour and is thinking about changing his nest. He's a very loyal character, and Dumbledore must have really wronged people for him to leave a person he once bonded to. However, ever after that Halloween, he told me that he'd like to bond with Inu and Harry. He's just waiting for them to grow up some more."

Everyone's eyes wandered to the play corner in the staff room, where the toddlers were engrossed in brewing fruit drops together with the twins in the Toddler's Potions sets, which Harry and Neville had received from Severus for their birthdays.

"Severus, you seem to be raising four Potions apprentices," Poppy commented what everyone else thought.

Severus smirked. "Oh well, maybe at least one of them will be willing to teach Potions in the future, as I have several matters, which I'd love to research given time," he replied, glancing at Lily.

"I'm in," she added in determination, resolving to take some time for research to perhaps sometime in the future be able to cure the Longbottoms as well as Remus.

HP

Narcissa Malfoy let out a deep sigh, as she observed her two-year-old son Draco sleep. Ever since not only her sister Bellatrix but also her husband Lucius had been given one-way tickets to Azkaban, she had felt extremely lonely. At first, she had hoped to be pregnant with another child; however, this wish had not been granted. _'Malfoy Manor is much too big for the two of us, and considering that the goblins froze all of our assets until the time, when Draco is of age to accept the lordship, we can't even buy something small just for the two of us to live in,'_ she thought, feeling very much depressed at the idea of continuing to live in such a large house.

_'At Hogwarts, they're looking for teachers,'_ she thought, pondering if she would like to teach students, only to decide, '_not under Dumbledore as the headmaster.'_ She recalled that there had been another school opened, something like Mummy, even if she had forgotten the exact title.

For the first time since her other sister, Andromeda, had been kicked out of the Black family, Narcissa toyed with the idea of contacting her. _'What good did it do to marry a pureblood if he's evil enough to get himself chucked into Azkaban?'_ she wondered. _'Perhaps Andy was not only courageous but also cleverer than Bella and me to marry a muggleborn lawyer, who never worked for the Dark Lord.'_

Sighing in frustration and at the same time determination, Narcissa penned a letter to her sister, asking her if she would be willing to meet her for a private conversation.

"Barnabas!" she called the family raven, instructing him to take the letter to Andromeda Tonks.

_'Oh well, now I can only wait and see,'_ she thought. For a few minutes, she pondered the idea to also contact Draco's godfather Severus, however, finally dismissed the idea. While Severus had sent a birthday present for Draco's second birthday, she had no idea where he was and what he was doing. '_Maybe if Drommy doesn't reply, I'll contact him,'_ she consoled herself – only to be brought back to reality by Draco's crying.

HP

At the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts, the preparation for the first real school year were in full swing. Especially, the four new teachers for the primary school, who had just taken their NEWTs in June, had much work making lesson plans and preparing their classrooms with the assistance of the house-elves.

Glenda Chittock, a half-blood witch, was the teacher of the Unicorn and the Lynx class. She already employed two of her new pupils, the twins, along with Harry and Neville and had them assist and give her ideas about the equipment of the classroom, and all four children and Inu were very fond of her.

Linda O'Brian, the daughter of the head healer of St. Mungo's, who was a good friend of Poppy, took over the six-year-olds' Griffin class and the seven-year-olds' Phoenix class. She was also a very kind witch, and the twins and the trio absolutely adored her.

Gilderoy Lockhart, Linda's best friend, was responsible for the eight-year-olds' Hippogriff class and the nine-year-olds' Basilisk class. While he was not very magically powerful, he had excelled in the theoretical parts of his NEWTs and was extremely patient, something that was very much required for the position. Moreover, Inu approved of him.

Finally, Evelyn Jones, a muggleborn witch, who had received the best NEWT results of her year, was going to instruct the ten-year-olds' Dragon class, even if no one expected her to remain on the position for ages, as the young witch would probably decide to pursue her own studies at some stage. Nevertheless, she was more than adequate for the beginning.

The curriculum for the primary school classes included Reading and Writing, Maths, Music, Arts, Physical Education as well as Wizarding and Muggle Culture, Easy Spells and Charms for Beginners. The class about Magical Creatures was taught from the Hippogriff class onwards, Geography commenced from the Basilisk class onwards and History of the Magical and Mundane World only from the Dragon class onwards.

Apart from Inu, the only magical animals present on the grounds of the MAMA were three winged horses and two unicorns; however, James and Remus intended to remedy the situation in the near future.

HP

Narcissa headed to the private room at the Leaky Cauldron with apprehension, carrying Draco in her arms. As much as she appreciated that her sister was willing to meet with her, she detested her choice of the place. _'Oh well, never mind. I just hope she'll hear me out,_' she thought, feeling annoyed at her own excitement at the idea of meeting her sister.

The meeting was awkward to say the least; however, Drommy made it easy for her. She gently greeted Draco and introduced her own, nine-year-old daughter to him, instructing Nymphadora to keep an eye on Draco, so that their mothers could talk for a while.

"Tell me," she then turned to Narcissa, who let out a deep sigh, before she opened up and told her older sister everything that was on her mind.

_'It's strange,'_ she then thought. _'I can talk to her, as if we had only met yesterday and not more than a decade ago.'_

"Just make a new beginning," Andromeda advised her. "I believe that you have two choices. One would be to speak with Uncle Arcturus. He's the head of the Black family by now, and he's less harsh than our father, who kicked me out of the family. I've even considered asking him to add me back, but so far I didn't. There's not really a necessity for it, you know."

Narcissa nodded in understanding. "Anyway, he'd be able to annul your marriage and take you and Draco back into the family. The other option would be to look for a job, which might be difficult if you don't have anyone to look after Draco," Andromeda continued, thoughtfully.

"I could apply to Hogwarts, but I don't want to work with Dumbledore," Narcissa explained. "I need something where I can take Draco with me, and jobs like that are rare."

"Ah, that's it then," Drommy replied, smiling. "I just know the right thing. Apply to the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts. Minerva McGonagall is leading the school together with the Potters. They accept children from the age of four, and they will probably be able to hire some more staff if you don't mind what you're doing. They're only slowly building up the school. Dora is going to attend it from next week onwards," she added, smiling.

"Yeah, it's a brilliant place. They even gave me a tour around the grounds to see the winged horses and unicorns," Nymphadora spoke up, grinning in apparent anticipation.

"I might contact Professor McGonagall then," Narcissa decided. "Thank you so much for your advice."

The sisters spent some more time talking about this and that like in old times and decided to remain in contact, before they finally separated. Narcissa felt extremely happy to finally have got her sister back. _'Thank Merlin Drommy understands that it was only because of Lucius that I had broken off contact with her,' _Narcissa thought, as she stepped out of the fireplace at Malfoy Manor.

As soon as Draco was in bed that evening, she penned a letter to Professor McGonagall, even if she assumed that the chances were low that the school would hire her just three days before the beginning of the new school year.

HP

Only by chance did Lily realise that her children apparently expected to attend classes together with the twins, when she overheard them making plans together.

Deciding to act immediately, she took the four children and Inu aside and gently informed them that, while the twins were four years old and were going to attend the unicorn class beginning the day after tomorrow, the trio would have to wait for two more years before being able to attend classes together with other students.

The trio did not take it well to say the least. While Harry and Neville, who had become as fluent in speaking as Harry, threw the worst temper tantrums she had ever seen, Inu sat there growling and barking at her.

Unfortunately, the baby that was due in about a fortnight, seemed to sense how upset her brothers were and began her own temper tantrum, causing Lily to merely stand there holding her stomach without being able to properly react to the boys' behaviour. '_Oh Merlin, what's the baby doing? I hope she'll be all right,_' she thought in shock.

She did not even notice that the older twins dashed away only to return with Minerva and Poppy in tow a few minutes later.

While Minerva took care of the children, who were standing there staring at her in apparent shock upon noticing that something was wrong, Poppy gently led her out of the room and into the master suite, where she informed her after a quick flick of her wand that the baby was going to be born soon.

In the wee hours of August 31, Dorea Rose Potter was born, named after her late grandmothers.

HP

_'She looks nice,'_ Harry thought, eyeing his sister, who had red hair and green eyes, with interest. _'She's very tiny though,'_ he thought in disappointment.

"She's too tiny," he whispered to Neville and Inu, his twins, who always understood him best.

"Yeah," Neville confirmed, while Inu gently licked his face.

The arrival of their baby sister helped the two-year-olds to become distracted from the disappointment that they were not allowed to attend classes yet.

While the four-year-old twins headed to their first class in the morning of the first of September, Harry and Neville assisted Lily and Poppy taking care of little Dorea. Inu was sitting in front of Dorea's crib and did not budge, however, barked at everyone who came near their baby sister who was not family.

"Thank Merlin he considers the two of us as family," Minerva said to Poppy, chuckling, as she gently caressed the crup's ears.

HP

At Hogwarts, Molly Weasley ushered her oldest, Bill, to get ready, so that she could apparate him to King's Cross on time for the Hogwarts Express.

"Mum," Bill informed her, rolling his eyes in annoyance, "first of all, I don't want to be apparated to London just to take the train back. Hagrid offered to take me to Hogsmeade, when the train arrives. Secondly, I don't want that rat as familiar. I really don't like it. Look, it seems to like Percy. Let him have it," he added, pointing at the spot, where his seven-year-old brother was cuddling with the garden rat, which had found its way into their family almost a year ago.

"All right, fine," Molly gave in, shaking her head at her oldest, when nine-year-old Charlie spoke up.

"Why can't Bill and I go to live with Dad and the twins and attend the MAMA school?" he asked, grumpily. "Dad wrote that they take children from the age of four, and the twins are going to attend school from today onwards."

"I'd prefer the MAMA school, too," Bill added, feeling extremely grateful that his brother had addressed the topic.

"They didn't accept you," Molly pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was because you and Dumbledore made some strange arrangements," Bill replied, glaring at his mother, before he returned to his room, deciding to use the time, which he would otherwise spend on the train, to write a letter to his father. However, when he entered the room, which he shared with Charlie, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Let's go and see Hagrid," he whispered to his brother, who was all for it.

HP

_'What a timing,'_ Minerva thought, when she returned to her office after greeting the pupils of the primary school in Lily's stead. _'Still, little Dorea is an absolute cutie.'_

Gratefully accepting a cup of tea from Malcolm, she cast a glance at the Daily Prophet, rolling her eyes at the double headline.

_'Students, be careful to board the right train – the Hogwarts Express leaves at 11 a.m., the MAMA Express at 2 p.m from the same platform nine and three quarters!'_

_'So far, the students always managed to get onto the train on time,'_ she mused, recalling one or the other incident, where students had to be taken through the fireplace by their parents.

_'The former Hogwarts students will be glad that the train ride only takes half as long as to Scotland,'_ she thought, as she recalled her own first train ride together with Poppy and Rolanda. _'Rolanda seems happy to be able to teach general physical education to the younger ones instead of only Flying classes,_' she thought, once again pondering if they had thought of everything that was necessary for a general magical and mundane education.

_'Oh well, we can still add things at any time,'_ she thought. _'It would be good to find something to employ Narcissa Malfoy as well. I'll wait until the first days have passed, before discussing her case with the others and replying to her,'_ she resolved, as she finished her tea and readied herself for the last staff meeting before the beginning of the school year for the older students, who were only going to arrive at dinner time.

_'I like that the younger pupils are going to return home before dinner and only return on time for breakfast,'_ she thought. They had led long discussions about the matter, however, had finally decided on this schedule to give all students the same choice of breakfast before their classes.

HP

Most of the teachers decided to accompany James Potter to the station to lead the new students to the school, while Arthur Weasley promised to keep an eye on the twins and Harry and Neville. The twins had just returned from their first day in the Unicorn class and were busily relaying everything about it to the younger boys, who were eagerly listening.

After the events of the previous January, where Sirius had seen not only Molly Weasley but also Peter Pettigrew on the platform, James decided to take Inu with him to the station. Together with nine of his colleagues, he and Inu headed to Dragonsedge a few minutes before the train was supposed to arrive.

He quickly cast a Sonorus charm on himself, introduced himself and Inu, just like he had done in January, and instructed everyone to head up the street leading away from the village.

Inu was busily running through the crowd, greeting several of the new sixth- and seventh-years in apparent excitement. However, he appeared to not have detected anything out of the order, and James sighed in relief.

_'Thank Merlin,'_ he thought, as he slowly left the station to follow the last of the students to the school. "Come on, don't dawdle," he told a specifically slow group of what he assumed were third- or fourth-years, knowing that Minerva was already waiting for them to arrive. _'It's strange to come here and greet the students without Lily though.'_ However, he could not help feeling happy at the reason why his wife had not been able to accompany them to the station. _'Immediately after dinner, I'm going to return home and help her with Dorea,'_ he resolved, feeling relieved that due to being the deputy headmaster he did not have any obligations like his colleagues had as teachers of a specific class.

HP

As soon as James arrived in the atrium with the last students in tow motioning them to sit down quickly, Minerva rose from her chair at the high table.

"Dear students, welcome to the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts, welcome back to our sixth- and seventh-years," she said, pleasantly. "First of all, I'd like to introduce our teachers to you. Since we don't have houses like at Hogwarts, your class will be your family. You will share your common room with your classmates as well as your dormitories. Every class has one teacher, who is responsible for your personal wellbeing. Teacher for the first-years is Madam Hooch, our instructor for Flying and Physical Education."

Rolanda rose from her chair and was greeted with huge applause from the older students, who still remembered her from their time at Hogwarts.

"Teacher for the second-years is Professor Sprout, our Professor for Herbology," Minerva continued, smiling when her best friend also received huge applause.

"Responsible for the third-years is Professor Weasley, our Professor for Arithmancy," Minerva continued and not waiting for the applause to end introduced Flitwick for the fourth-years, Remus for the fifth-years, Sirius for the sixth-years and Severus for the seventh-years.

"After the welcoming feast, I expect everyone to gather around the teachers, whom I just mentioned as your class teacher. They will lead you to your common rooms and will be available to answer any questions you might have."

With that, she sat down, tapped the table in front of her with her wand, and the meal appeared on the tables.

It was only half-way through the Welcoming Feast that Minerva suddenly let out a huge gasp, causing everyone to stare at the headmistress in apparent surprise.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

**_Have a happy New Year!_**

_Next chapter: "Mischief managed"._


	7. Mischief managed

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"Over there," Minerva said in apparent shock. It merely came out as a whisper. "Arthur, the two redheads over there. Are they yours? I can't recall having accepted any redheads apart from your twins."

"What?" The Arithmancy professor's eyes darted in the direction, in which Minerva seemed to be looking. "Bill and Charlie," he then blurted out in disbelief, as realisation set in. "Bill is supposed to attend Hogwarts, and Charlie is supposed to be with my wife, be it at Hogwarts or elsewhere," he said, tonelessly.

"Oh well, it seems that your children had other ideas," Sirius spoke up, grinning broadly, while the four-year-old twins jumped from their seats at the high table and ran through the atrium to greet their adored older brothers with Inu on their heels.

"Bill!..."

"… Charlie!" they shouted in apparent excitement, causing everyone to turn their heads towards the table, where the two redheads were sitting among a group of first-years.

"I'm sorry," Arthur stammered. "I had no idea."

"That's fine," Minerva replied in a soothing voice, gently placing a hand on Arthur's arm. "Let's speak with them after the feast, before you make any decisions. I don't mind having them here, and Inu apparently doesn't either," she added, seeing that Inu had followed the twins and was now being petted by Charlie.

"I believe that the time has come," Arthur replied, his expression turning to a mischievous one, "to send my wife a Howler for the first time – for not better taking care of our children."

"How old is the younger boy?" Evelyn Jones enquired.

"He's nine," Arthur replied, thoughtfully.

"That would be the Basilisk class then. Gilderoy?" Minerva addressed her young colleague.

"That's fine," Gilderoy Lockhart replied, smiling broadly. "The more the merrier."

No one noticed a bright flash appear above the students' table just for an instant.

HP

After the welcoming feast, James accompanied Minerva, Arthur and his two oldest sons to the headmaster's office, inwardly groaning, as he could not wait to get home to his wife and daughter.

"Bill and Charlie I believe are your names?" Minerva asked the two boys, who were gingerly sitting on the edges of their chairs, in a strict voice.

"Yes Professor," Bill replied quickly. "I'm sorry for just coming here," he added. "It was my idea, and Charlie wanted it, too, so I brought him with me."

"So, you accept the responsibility for the two of you?" Minerva asked the eleven-year-old, and from her expression, James could assess that she was highly amused by the eleven-year's attitude.

"Yes Professor," Bill replied in a firm voice, glancing at his father. "We decided that from now on, we want to live with our father instead of our mother. We asked Hagrid to take us to platform nine and three quarters, but instead of boarding the Hogwarts Express, we waited for the MAMA express. I really love it. We already became friends with some other first-years, and I'd really wished we could just stay here. Charlie too," he added.

"Yes please," Charlie piped up, causing James to grin.

"Well Arthur," Minerva turned to the boys' father, "your children seem to know exactly what they want. What do you think?"

Arthur let out a deep sigh, before addressing his sons. "Boys, are you sure that you wish to stay here with the twins and me? He asked in a firm voice.

"Yes please," Bill and Charlie replied, simultaneously.

"Very well then," Minerva spoke again, "James, will you please take Bill to the first-years' dormitory? Charlie will need to stay in Arthur's quarters like the twins, as the primary school is only a day-school."

Everyone nodded their consent, and James stood to lead the first-year to his dormitory, just when the nine-year-old spoke up in apparent happiness.

"Thanks Bill for bringing me here. You're the best of all our brothers."

"Thanks for coming with me," Bill replied, giving his younger brother a small slap onto the head, before he said good night to the professors and followed James out of the room.

HP

An hour later, Lily met with their colleagues for tea in the parlour, where Minerva informed everyone about the two Weasley boys, while James took care of their children in their private rooms.

"Mischief managed," Sirius commented, grinning. "Well done for an eleven- and a nine-year-old."

"I'm sorry," Arthur spoke up and, just when Minerva reassured him that it was all right, continued, "could anyone show me how to turn this into a Howler please?"

Everyone blurted out in laughter, as Arthur was the most patient and friendly professor of all of them. '_Oh well, it's fitting that he doesn't know how to send such a thing,_' Lily thought in amusement. Somehow, she was the first to get a grip on herself and gently showed Arthur the incantation and wand movement.

An instant later, Arthur's voice began to shout.

_"Molly Weasley, how dare you not take better care of our children? Bill and Charlie arrived here today, and just so you know they are going to stay. If any other of our children come here, you're going to find yourself cast out of the family, while I take all seven of them in. Please behave yourself, as long as you carry the name Weasley."_

"Very well done, Arthur," Minerva said gently, when Arthur could not help blushing, while everyone else chuckled in apparent amusement.

"She deserves it," Severus added in a firm voice.

"Thank you all so much for your encouragement and help – and for accepting Bill and Charlie into the MAMA. It means a lot to me," Arthur replied, smiling.

"They seem nice boys, and we're happy to have them," Minerva commented, before Lily excused herself to return to her husband and children.

HP

Fawkes was sitting on his perch, cleaning his back feathers, deep in thought, when all of a sudden, Molly Weasley stormed into the headmaster's office. He absolutely detested the woman, who was loud and annoying beyond belief. Unfortunately, the headmaster never consulted him about whom to invite and allow into his office in spite of the fact that he was living in said office all day and should have some say in the matter.

"Bill and Charlie are gone," the woman shouted. "They were supposed to be on the Hogwarts Express, but they didn't arrive at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore questioned the annoying redhead for a few minutes, before he gave up, and Fawkes inwardly groaned in anticipation of what was going to come.

"Fawkes," the headmaster finally addressed him, as could be expected. "Could you go and see if you can find William and Charlie Weasley?"

#Yes,# Fawkes replied, shortly, and left in a bright flash. He flashed to where he could sense the two children, who were at least less annoying than their mother. Making himself invisible by hiding in a dark corner, he took in the situation around the boys, realising exactly where they were and that it had been their own choice to come to the MAMA. Without further ado, he left and returned home, where he peacefully continued cleaning his back feathers.

"Did you not find them?" the headmaster enquired, causing Fawkes to look up for an instant.

#No,# he trilled in response.

"I'm sorry, Molly. I don't know why Fawkes was unable to find them, but I'm sure that they can't get lost on the platform or the train," Dumbledore said to the woman before suggesting, "Perhaps we should go and take a look at the station. They might have missed the train and are waiting for someone to pick them up."

To Fawkes' relief, the grumpy old coot swiftly stepped into the fireplace closely followed by the more than annoying bitch, and he returned to the task at hand, determined to enjoy the peace and quiet as long as it lasted.

HP

Harry, Neville and Inu immediately liked Charlie. When the other pupils of the primary school stepped into the fireplace to return to their homes before dinner, the twins and Charlie remained at the MAMA and played with them. At dinner time, the younger boys followed Charlie to sit with Bill and the other first-years, and they felt soon comfortable together with the first-years, as everyone was very friendly and did not ridicule them for only being two or four years old.

"Mummy, when will Dorea be bigger…"

"… and come to dinner with us?" Harry and Neville asked Lily one day, feeling fed up with the baby that did nothing but sleep all day.

"Just give her a few months," Lily replied, smiling, inwardly groaning at their way of speaking, which they had to have learned from the Weasley twins, who liked to complete each other's sentences to the adults' great annoyance. _'The only person who thinks that it's cool must be Sirius,'_ she thought. "Do you really have to speak like the Weasley twins?" she asked in exasperation.

"Yes…"

"…. We like it," her sons replied, grinning broadly.

"The twins…"

"… are cool."

HP

Around two weeks into the school year, students and teachers settled down, and Minerva noticed in relief that the school was almost running by itself. The house-elves still informed her that Howlers from Molly Weasley for her, the Potters and Arthur were arriving on a daily basis; however, other than that everything remained peaceful.

It was during a staff meeting three weeks after the beginning of the term that Evelin Jones, the muggleborn witch, who was teaching the Dragon class, spoke up in apparent distress.

"I'm sorry, but there's something that's really missing here," she informed her colleagues. "The library needs a librarian like the one at Hogwarts. Today, I took my students into the library to teach them how to find books on certain topics, so that they're well prepared when they become first-years next year, but it was really difficult to find things. Of course, we were able to find whatever we needed for our NEWTs last spring, but these children don't have any experience, and they really need someone to help and advise them, something which exceeds my teaching time in their class considering how many subjects we have to cover."

Severus glanced at Minerva. "That would be a position suitable for Narcissa," he spoke up, smirking.

"Are you sure, and would she be willing to become the librarian?" Minerva enquired, sceptically.

"She will, considering that she wrote you she'd accept any job to get away from the dark manor," Severus insisted.

"She'll make a good librarian," Lily spoke up. "She was a sixth-year prefect, when I was a first-year, and she was not only kind but also efficient, when she helped me find something in the library in spite of the fact that she was a pureblood and I a muggleborn. After that encounter with her, I never needed help to find anything in the library anymore."

"Very well, I'll offer her the job of a librarian," Minerva decided. "Is that all right with you, James?"

"Of course." James nodded his approval. "Due to the many students who came right from the beginning, our financial situation is good enough to hire at least five additional teachers," he replied, grinning.

"The only problem is that her son is about the age of Harry and Neville," Minerva added, thoughtfully.

"That's not a problem," Severus informed her. "Tell her to bring her house-elf Dobby. He's the one who has mainly been raising Draco so far. Narcissa didn't really bother to teach him much, before her husband went to Azkaban."

HP

Two days later, Narcissa, Draco and Dobby arrived at the MAMA. Minerva led them into her office, where Severus was waiting for them together with Harry, Neville and Inu.

To her relief, Inu seemed to approve of the three of them and even went so far as to lick Dobby's hand, which he only used to do if he really liked someone.

"Hello, I am Draco Malfoy," Draco introduced himself to Harry and Neville.

"We are Harry…"

"… and Neville…"

"… and Inu," the boys introduced themselves.

=I like the elf,= Inu informed Harry, who quickly translated, smiling.

"This is Dobby," Narcissa Malfoy informed them, "Draco's elf, and he is going to help your mother taking care of all three of you."

"Four," Harry and Neville corrected her, simultaneously.

"Draco, Harry, Inu and me are four," Neville explained, smiling at Narcissa.

"Nice to have you and Draco and Dobby here," Harry added, causing Minerva to cast him an appreciative look.

_'The two of them are as friendly as Lily and James are,'_ she thought, contentedly. _'I wonder if they're still aware of the fact that they're not really twins. Maybe not, considering that Neville calls Lily and James Mum and Dad, and Harry calls Augusta Granny just like Neville. Oh well, at some stage, when they're older, Lily and James need to tell them about it, before they hear it from anyone else at the school.'_

The children's laughter brought her back to reality, and she readily agreed when Severus offered to take Narcissa and Draco to their private quarters.

"Gina," she called the head house-elf of the manor, "this is Dobby, and he will stay with us from now on. He's responsible for Draco and will also help Lily with Harry and Neville and possibly Dorea."

"Dobby likes children very much," the small elf spoke up, wringing his hands in apparent excitement.

"Gina understands, Mistress Minerva," the elf replied and reached out to Dobby, uttering, "Dobby, come with Gina," before she popped away with him.

HP

The following day was Saturday and the day of the Quidditch try-outs. One of the seventh-years, who had already been the captain of the Ravenclaw team at Hogwarts, guided the younger years through their try-outs.

James and Sirius had brought Harry, Neville, Draco, the Weasley twins and Inu to observe the try-outs from the stands, and the two-year-olds had much fun.

At one stage, however, Harry blurted out in a loud voice, "Daddy, de Seeker is not good. De Snitch is over dere, but he isn't looketing." His high, childish voice could be heard all over the pitch, and the older students burst out laughing, as everyone followed his outstretched finger pointing to the Snitch.

"I didn't see it," Neville admitted in a small voice.

"I didn't either," Draco added.

"Harry must be really good…"

"… at finding the Snitch…"

"… as we didn't see it either," Fred and George added.

"Yeah, he always catches de Snitch," Neville explained to Draco.

After Sirius had given them both children's brooms for their second birthdays, they had gone flying with James and Sirius and the twins a couple of time, and it had always been Harry to catch the Snitch, before Neville, the twins or the adults had even spotted it.

"Can we go flying?" Draco enquired, giving James and Sirius a pleading look.

"We will," James promised.

"Tomorrow morning," Sirius added. "Right after breakfast, we'll take the five of you flying."

On Sunday morning, Charlie decided to join the younger boys as well, and from that point onwards, it got a habit for the three Marauders to take the six young boys flying every Sunday after breakfast. Usually, they put up two teams with a Keeper, a Seeker and two or three Chasers each; however, no matter what the team constellation was, Harry's team always won – due to him catching the Snitch at an early stage.

HP

One day around a month into the new school year, Lily received a letter from Buckbean, the Potters' account manager at Gringotts.

_'Dear Lady Potter,  
recently, a grave mistake that occurred more than twenty years in the past has come to our attention, and we wish to see you to discuss the details in person. Please come to see Buckbean at 10 a.m. on October 31. Feel free to bring your husband and sons if you wish.  
May your gold always flow and your enemies cower before you  
Buckbean  
Account Manager at Gringotts'_

"What?" Lily blurted out, handing the letter to James.

"I don't have a clue what this means," he commented after skimming the text.

'_More than twenty years ago?'_ Lily wondered in disbelief, when she was feeding Dorea. _'I was only born twenty-two years ago.'_ She pondered the matter for a while, before she decided '_It must be a mistake'_ and passed Dorea to James to make her burp.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Revelations"._


	8. Revelations

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

Almost every Saturday morning, a Quidditch match took place, and the whole school headed outside to watch.

While some of the teachers had predicted that the first- and second-year students would not have a chance against the practised upper years, the first-years with Bill Weasley as their Keeper beat the fourth-years, and the second-years played a draw against the seventh-years.

"It's great to have so many Quidditch matches," Sirius spoke up. "Just the four houses playing against each other at Hogwarts was never enough entertainment."

On the Saturdays without Quidditch matches, the students from first-year onwards were allowed to spend the day in Dragonsedge, where at least five teachers were patrolling the streets to ensure their safety.

From his first visit to Dragonsedge, which took place on the last Sunday of October, Bill brought a bag full of sweets home for Charlie, Fred, George, Harry, Neville and Draco, causing the younger boys to absolutely envy the big students, who were allowed to go to the village just by themselves.

HP

In the morning of Halloween, Lily and James headed to Gringotts. They only brought Dorea with them and accepted Minerva's and Poppy's gentle offer to care for the two-year-old trio, knowing that Harry and Neville were in good hands with Inu and the older witches.

"My wife has an appointment with Buckbean," James informed the goblin in the reception room, who motioned them to wait for a moment.

It did not take long before Buckbean arrived and greeted them as politely as always, before he led them into his office, which always made an elite impression on Lily. The only decoration was a goblin-made sword hanging from the ceiling in front of an opaque window.

Buckbean motioned them to take a seat, before he made himself comfortable behind his desk opened a file that was lying readily on his desk. He let out a grave sigh.

"Lady Lily Potter," he addressed her, "you were born on 30 January, 1960 in St. Mary's hospital in Cokeworth; is that correct?"

"Yes sir," Lily replied in confusion as to why the goblin would ask such a thing.

"You gave us a drop of your blood, when you and your husband accepted the lordship for the Potter family two years ago," Buckbean explained. "Any blood we receive on such occasions is usually examined by our laboratory, and our colleagues found out something remarkable."

Lily stared at the goblin in bewilderment, as he continued, "Have you ever heard of the Mackenzie family?"

"No," Lily replied, shaking her head, while James seemed to remain pensive.

"Robert Mackenzie was the last member of the Mackenzie family, one of the old magical houses that go back to Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff," Buckbean explained. "Apparently, the baby daughter of him and his wife Julia was born on the same day as you, alas, at St. Mungo's," Buckbean explained.

"We've involved St. Mungo's to do some research, and we've also checked the Mackenzies' vault for any information, which is why everything took so long. However, we've found the information required. Apparently, Robert Mackenzie feared that their family and with it their baby was in great danger, because Tom Riddle AKA Lord Voldemort, who was the heir of Salazar Slytherin's younger brother Severin, was determined to extinguish the family in order to declare himself Salazar's heir."

"Excuse me, sir…" Lily blurted out, however, slowly trailed off, when Buckbean hold up a hand to stop her.

"Fearing for his baby's safety, Robert went to a random muggle hospital near Mackenzie Manor and exchanged a muggle baby with his own daughter, believing that she would be safer growing up with muggles," Buckbean continued. "Unfortunately, he was correct, as he, his wife, and what his wife assumed to be her daughter were killed eighteen months later."

"That means that my wife is not muggleborn but the heiress of the Mackenzie and in extension of the Slytherin-Hufflepuff family?" James enquired in apparent disbelief.

"Exactly," Buckbean confirmed. "The story still continues though. Since the Lady Potter is the heiress of the Slytherin-Hufflepuff family and Lord Potter the heir to the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw family, your firstborn, Harry Potter, is the first heir of all four founders of Hogwarts. According to a prophecy made by Rowena Ravenclaw, Harry will be the owner of Hogwarts in the future, as the heir of all four founders."

"Oh well, Harry is two years old, and I don't think that we're going to do anything about Hogwarts, as long as Dumbledore is the headmaster," James replied in a firm voice.

"The owner can dismiss the headmaster and do as he pleases," Buckbean informed him. "Please talk to the founders of Hogwarts about it if you have a chance."

"Thank you, Buckbean. We'll speak with them eventually, as we have portraits of all four of them at our school," Lily replied in determination. "For now, we're happy with our own school, however, and we'll consider what to do about Hogwarts in the future."

"Very well." Buckbean nodded in understanding.

"I still don't get it," Lily blurted out. "This Robert person just exchanged me with his daughter, and neither her mother nor mine noticed anything? The whole story sounds very far-fetched to me."

Buckbean pushed a slim folder over to her along with a small key, which she and James recognised as the key of a Gringotts vault. He motioned her to open the folder, and on the first page, there was a photograph of a young family. The mother had red hair and green eyes, while the baby of about twelve months was the spitting image of Petunia.

Lily could not help gasping at the sight.

"The exchange of the babies took place right after the two of you were born," Buckbean explained. "The key is for vault number 5, one of the oldest we have. Please check it out at your leisure," Buckbean advised them. "In the vault, you can find Robert's diary, and everything is explained in it. When you've made up your minds, I suggest that you accept the lordship for the Mackenzie family and take your seat on the Wizengamot as well. Just contact me when you're ready."

"We will," Lily replied, smiling. "Thank you for everything, Buckbean. This will just take a while to comprehend."

"Shall I send a goblin to fetch you the diary?" Buckbean offered, and Lily gratefully accepted, carefully pocketing the diary together with the folder she had received.

They profusely thanked the goblin, before they took their leave.

HP

Arriving at the school, they quickly made their way to their own rooms, glad when they did not meet anyone on the way.

"That means that Petunia is not my sister," Lily said, looking from her daughter to her husband in disbelief.

James nodded. "The baby in the photograph is the spitting image of her," Lily added, opening the folder. "Strange that Mum didn't realise that something was wrong with me," she added in confusion.

"She loved you as if you were her own, and that was the best for you," James said in a soothing voice, before he leaned over and pulled her into a long kiss.

HP

During the following weeks, Lily and James did not tell anyone about the revelations they had received at Gringotts. However, they closely examined Robert's diary as well as the vault at Gringotts, only to realise that – as unbelievable as it sounded – everything that Buckbean had told them seemed to be true.

"I think I'd like to tell Minerva and Severus," Lily said one day, giving her husband a questioning look.

"Let's do that then," James agreed and invited their the two of them into their private quarters for the same evening, while Lily addressed the four founders of Hogwarts as well as Merlin and asked them to slip into the empty photo frame in their master suite for a little while.

To Lily's great relief, their friends as well as their ancestors in the portraits showed understanding and sympathy for her revelation and agreed that they did not have to do anything about Hogwarts right now.

"I already had a vision how you're going to handle your baby and ours in the future," Rowena informed them in a gentle voice. "I will let you know at the right time. For now, please just concentrate on your own baby MAMA."

"Thank you, Rowena," Lily said, gratefully. _'Thank Merlin,'_ she thought. _'As much as I always liked Hogwarts while I was there, the MAMA has become my home now, and I really like our new school. I can't believe that we only set it up just a year ago. I also like Dragonedge, and it's still growing now due to the fact that the students visit at least once a month.'_

HP

Before Lily was mentally able to fully accept the fact that she was the heiress of the ancient and noble House Mackenzie, Christmas was upon them and with it the Yule Ball.

The Yule Ball was a new, however, regular event at the MAMA, which took place on Christmas Eve. It was mandatory for the fifth-years who were attending the voluntary Dancing class that was offered only during the first half of the OWL year. To everyone's surprise, all fifth-years were attending said class, which was taught by Rolanda.

"Oh Merlin, I'll be glad when the Yule Ball is over," Minerva sighed one day, after the fifth- though seventh-years had to be taken to Dragonsedge the third Saturday in a row. "I hope everyone has their dress robes now."

Lily could not help chuckling at the older witch's apparent annoyance, recalling well that the whole event of the Yule Ball had been Minerva's idea in the first place. Sirius had even gone ahead and invited his grandfather, and Arcturus had readily agreed and asked Minerva to accompany him to the ball.

_'Thank Merlin I have James and know that we're going to attend the ball together,'_ Lily thought, as the whole school had witnessed the never-ending procedure of finding partners by the fifth- through seventh-years. While the Yule Ball was not compulsory for the sixth- and seventh-years, all students seemed to have decided to attend. During the last three Sundays before Christmas, Rolanda had even offered Dancing lessons for the sixth- and seventh-years, and they had been received with great interest.

HP

Another event taking place on Christmas Eve was the bonding of the roughly twenty new baby elves, who needed to be bonded. While Lily and James had insisted that they should rather be bonded to the school than to the Potter family, Minerva had outright refused to do the bonding and left the matter to James, who then in the end informed Lily that – in contrary to everything he had said before – he was going to have them bonded to the family as the head of the family rather than to the school as the deputy headmaster.

Accompanied by Lily, Harry, Dorea, Inu and a teary-eyed Gina, James finally performed the bonding ceremony for the twenty-two baby elves in their private quarters with Gina's assistance. Lily was torn between annoyance and amusement, when Harry and Inu saw fit to add a hug and a hand-lick to all the elf babies, before the ceremony could be finished.

It was later the same day, when Lily and James were playing a game with Harry, Neville and Draco to keep the much too excited two-year-olds entertained until dinnertime, that Gina and Dobby popped up in front of them.

"Master James, Mistress Lily, young Master Harry," Gina began to speak, and Dobby added quickly, "and young Master Draco." Both elves bowed deeply, something that James and Lily had instructed Gina to not do on their first day at Potter Manor.

"Dobby and Gina would like to ask for permission to marry and have a baby together," Gina continued in a soft voice, and while the two-year-olds looked none the wiser, James began to outright laugh.

"Please do so," he replied, laughing. "I look forward to seeing your baby soon."

"Master Draco?" Dobby asked, looking at the clueless two-year-old.

"Dobby would like to have a baby with Gina," Lily explained to Draco, who merely shrugged.

"Babies such as Dorea are too small to play," he voiced his opinion, and Harry and Neville nodded in agreement.

"Is it okay for Dobby to do so?" Dobby enquired, and Draco nodded his head.

"Originally, Dobby was bonded to former Master Lucius also," Dobby explained to the adults, "but as he was sent to Azkaban, the bonding was lost, and Draco is Dobby's only master now."

"I believe that Draco wants you to be happy and agreed, so it will be all right," Lily said in a soothing voice, causing Dobby to squeal in apparent delight and run around giving everyone a bear hug.

"Gina, have fun," James said, grinning at the hyper elf's antics.

HP

Very late on Christmas Eve, when the Yule Ball was still ongoing, Severus led his partner for the evening, Narcissa, to a table to have some drinks. Just then, Sirius and Arcturus joined them.

"Lady Malfoy," Arcturus addressed Narcissa, causing her to stare at her great uncle in apparent surprise.

Severus eyed the old man in suspicion; however, Arcturus was giving the former member of the Black family a rare smile.

"On my grandson's suggestion, I would like to offer you something," the old wizard continued. "I could dissolve your marriage with your evil husband and accept you and your son back into the Black family."

Severus busied himself with the glass of wine in front of him, recalling that Narcissa had told him that her sister Andromeda had already suggested for her to ask Lord Black for exactly the same, and he knew that she had honestly pondered the matter for a while.

"I'd like that," Narcissa replied, smiling. "However, would you be so kind and accept my sister Andromeda back into the family as well please, even if she doesn't really need it? And what is going to become of the Malfoy family and the Malfoy fortune?"

"The easiest would be to have the Malfoy family die out and to integrate the heritage into the Black family," Arcturus informed her, "and before you ask, my heir is Sirius. However, I suppose that you wish your son to have a seat on the Wizengamot in the future. Therefore, he could take the name Black-Malfoy and still carry on the Malfoy name and accept the lordship if he wishes to do so once he's an adult."

"Yes please, the second option please," Narcissa agreed, smiling. "Thank you, Lord Black, for offering this to us. I appreciate it very much."

"As to your sister," Arcturus continued, "please tell her to contact me and inform me if she wishes to be reinstalled into the family. I'm sorry, but now I believe that my date of the evening is waiting for me. Please excuse me." With that, he walked away in a speed that did not give out his age.

"Congratulations Narcissa," Severus said in a soft voice.

"Thank you, Severus, and thanks Sirius," she added, turning to her cousin.

"You're welcome, and good luck to the two of you," Sirius replied, grinning, before he excused himself as well, muttering, "Meli is waiting for me, too."

HP

On Christmas morning, most of the students who had remained for the Yule Ball returned to their homes, and there was only a handful of students remaining at the MAMA. Breakfast time saw Harry, Neville, Draco, Dobby and Inu running around the large Christmas tree in the atrium in utmost excitement.

Many colourful presents were lying under the tree, and Inu crawled under the tree, sniffing at one or the other present with apparent interest.

"Just let them open their presents," Minerva suggested. "Otherwise, they'll never eat their breakfast."

Lily agreed and, gently placing Dorea into the playpen that James had set up next to the high table, reached out for the first present.

All three children opened the fairly large box in obvious excitement that only intensified, when they realised that it contained a huge load of animals.

"For the Hogwarts Express," Harry shouted, wide-eyed.

"Now we have lots to animals to travel with it…"

"… instead of only rabbits…" the two others fell in, causing Lily to grin.

Sirius had once given them a box with a dozen small rabbits, which the children usually put onto their train to have them travel from London to Hogwarts and back. Knowing that, James and Lily had bought a huge box with various animals inside.

She quickly handed them the next gift, which the children opened in equal excitement, happily trying out the large, magical play book together.

Lily gave them two minutes, before she turned back to the presents still lying under the tree. When she reached out for a dark blue parcel, however, Inu pushed her out of the way, firmly placing his right front paw onto the box. However, as soon as the canine's paw touched the object, he was whisked away – to everyone's horror.

"Inu!" Harry, Neville and Draco shouted in shock.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Bonding"._


	9. Bonding

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

Inu quickly assessed his surroundings. He recognised the office. Once, he had accompanied his mummy here, when she had been engrossed in a verbal fight with the old wizard, who was sitting behind the desk. Then there was the very nice bird, who was resting on a perch eyeing him with apparent interest.

The old wizard looked surprised. Apparently, he had not expected Inu to arrive but either his mummy or his twin brother.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with what Inu interpreted as a combination of surprise and disappointment. "I expected Harry to visit me today."

Growling fiercely at the old man, Inu began to attack. 'Harry, tell mummy and daddy that I'm in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts,' he thought to his familiar, before he sank his teeth into the old wizard's leg. _'I'm not going to kill him, but he shall remember well to not mess with my family,'_ he thought, as he bit the evil man left and right a couple of times.

Noticing from the corner of his eyes how the man moved his arm and suddenly pointed his wand at him, Inu jumped and caught the wand in his mouth. It was not as if he did not have experience catching evil wizards' wands. He dashed away from his spot in the reach of the headmaster to keep the wand from him, knowing that his opponent would not simply be able to get up from his chair with the injuries he had inflicted to his legs and feet.

All of a sudden, a friendly voice penetrated his mind, and he could not help feeling happy.

#It's me, Fawkes,# he heard the phoenix trill to him. #I've taken the liberty to bond with you. Please carefully grab my tail feathers with your front paws, and I'll take you back home.#

Inu did not waste a moment. Giving the old wizard a final, ferocious growl, he trotted over to the phoenix, who was now sitting on the floor, invitingly turning his back feathers to him.

HP

Before Harry even had the chance to translate Inu's message, his familiar arrived back in front of them in a bright flash.

=Thank you, Fawkes,= Inu barked.

The phoenix flew up onto the back of an empty chair and carefully began to clean his back feathers.

#You're welcome, Mutt,# he replied and announced, #I've just bonded with your familiar as well.#

Lily observed the animals' actions in bewilderment. _'Fawkes brought Inu back?'_ she thought in disbelief, just when Harry came over to the table and stood in front of the phoenix.

"Hello Fawkes," he said, smiling. "Thank you so very much for bringing Inu back."

#You're welcome little one,# Fawkes replied and turned around before asking, #Could you perhaps pet my crown feathers? I'd like that.#

"Your crown feathers?" Harry enquired, giving the phoenix a questioning look.

#The feathers on my head,# Fawkes clarified.

"Of course," Harry replied and cautiously climbed onto the chair to do the phoenix the favour.

"Can you understand Fawkes?" James spoke up in the surprise that Lily shared.

"Yes, he told me that he has bonded to me," Harry replied, seemingly happy.

"Thank you so much for saving Inu," Lily spoke up, gratefully, causing the phoenix to let out another series of pleasant trills. "Inu, are you completely unharmed?" she then asked, turning to the canine – only to realise that he was carrying a wand in his mouth.

"Is that…" she stared at the wand in disbelief.

"The Elder Wand," James stated, carefully accepting the stick from Inu. "It belongs now to Inu," he added in apparent surprise, "as the Elder Wand is inherited by conquest. Perhaps we should ask Ollivander if in this case, Harry would be the rightful owner of the wand, considering that Inu is his familiar and won't be able to use it."

Turning to Inu, Fawkes and Harry, he asked, "Could you please enlighten us what happened?"

Fawkes and Inu took turns telling the story, and Harry diligently translated, as far as his two-year-old mind was able to comprehend their tale.

"Dumbledore," Lily growled.

"The question is," Amelia spoke up from where she was sitting next to Sirius, "whom Dumbledore wanted to abduct to Hogwarts. If he intended to abduct Harry, we could get him out of his position as headmaster for child abduction in a simple Wizengamot meeting. Otherwise, we need a proper trial for him."

#The grumpy old coot wished to abduct young Harry,# Fawkes trilled, #Harry, please translate.#

"I wonder how he was able to apply a Portkey to the present here at the MAMA at all," Remus spoke up. "The manor is warded against him, isn't it?"

#He sent one of his elves,# Fawkes informed them, and Harry translated. #The school apparently is not warded against elves from outside.#

"Gina," James called the head house-elf. "We must ward the school against house-elves from outside. Do you know how to do such a thing?"

Gina nodded, smiling. "Yes, Master James, Gina knows. Please come with me, and we can do the warding together."

Fifteen minutes later, James returned wearing an amused expression. "The school is now warded against house-elves who are not bonded to one of our permanent residents," he informed them, only to add, "Gina and Dobby seem to be very happy. She seemed eager to get back to him, and I've given her the day off."

"Well done, James," Poppy spoke up in a soft voice.

"If we need something, Cicero will surely be able to help," Severus offered, causing Poppy to chuckle.

"They haven't said anything yet, but I'm sure that Cicero and Misty will be the next to be infected with the 'marry and have children' boom of the elves," Poppy explained, grinning. "I believe that they've had feelings for each other for a while."

"Oh Merlin. Thanks for the warning, Poppy," Severus replied and rolled his eyes in what Lily assumed was pretended annoyance, causing everyone else to laugh.

HP

A few days later, Amelia informed them that Albus' kidnapping attempt would be topic number one in the next Wizengamot meeting that was going to take place on January 31.

"He deserves a time in Azkaban," she continued, angrily. "The problem is that he still has too many friends, even on the Wizengamot, in spite of all his manipulations."

"We'll see about that," Sirius replied, grimly. "He's already lost his phoenix and his Elder Wand to us," he added, grinning.

"Lily," James addressed his wife in a quiet voice. "Let's go to Gringotts and accept the lordship over the Mackenzie family before the meeting, so that you can take your seat on the Wizengamot."

"You what?" Sirius blurted out. "Was there something that you have to tell us?" he enquired, giving James and Lily a sharp look.

Letting out a deep sigh, Lily explained to the extended family what Buckbean had told them in the morning of Halloween.

"So much about Dumbledore's blood wards which he installed at the Dursleys," Amelia commented, shaking her head in apparent annoyance. "Oh well, I assume that he could not know about your non-existing relationship."

"Probably," Lily agreed, smiling.

HP

Cygnus Greengrass opened the Wizengamot meeting and, first of all, introduced Lily Potter as the Lady Mackenzie and welcomed her into the Wizengamot, where she would revive the seat of the head of the Mackenzie family.

Huge applause followed his explanation, and many people congratulated Lily and wished her good luck for the old family that had been believed to be extinct for more than twenty years.

"Thank you all so much," Lily replied, smiling, as she took her seat between Minerva and Augusta Longbottom.

HP

"Very well, as the first point on our agenda for today, Amelia Bones wishes to question Albus Dumbledore about a kidnapping event," the head of the Wizengamot announced, while Dumbledore was brought into the room accompanied by two Aurors.

The old wizard was instructed to sit in the chair for the accused, albeit only in light chains.

"Albus Dumbledore, you are accused of attempting to kidnap Harry Potter in the morning of the 25th of December," Amelia addressed him. "How do you plead?"

"Innocent," Dumbledore replied, causing a large part of the members of the Wizengamot to gasp, simultaneously.

James rose from his seat. "I request the use of Veritaserum," he said in a firm voice, as soon as Greengrass motioned him to speak.

"I second the motion," Minerva spoke up.

Alastor Moody, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, stepped over to Dumbledore and added three drops of the truth serum on his tongue.

"What is your name?" Moody enquired in apparent annoyance at the old wizard.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Dumbledore replied in the tone that was characteristic for someone under the influence of Veritaserum.

"Did you apply or order someone, for example an elf, to turn one of the Christmas presents meant for the Potter boys into a Portkey?" Amelia enquired, strictly.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied, simply.

"Who did you want to abduct and why?" Amelia questioned the old wizard.

"I wished to speak with young Harry about the prophecy that concerns him," Dumbledore replied in a grandfatherly voice, causing several members of the Wizengamot to gasp. "I am the only one who has heard the whole of the prophecy, and since it concerns him, he needs to know about it."

"Do you know how old Harry Potter is?" Amelia asked in apparent disbelief.

"He must be two and a half years old by now," Dumbledore said, "and he will need my help in the future and must know from an early time onwards what his destiny is and that he can turn to me for help. However, instead of Harry, his mutt arrived, bit me left and right and stole my wand."

Lily rose her hand and was allowed to speak.

"According to Fawkes, who has left Dumbledore on the occasion and bonded with my sons, Inu did not steal Dumbledore's wand but fought with him and inherited the wand in conquest."

"Moreover, Harry is not the child of the prophecy," James spoke up in a firm voice.

"What exactly does the prophecy say?" Amelia asked Dumbledore, who recited a prophecy, which Sybill Trelawney had uttered to him almost three years ago. "Actually, it could have applied to Harry or Neville, but apparently, Voldemort believed that it was the Potters, which is why he attacked them in Godric's Hollow on Halloween 1982."

"Still, Harry is not the child of the prophecy," James repeated. "If at all, it is Inu, as he is our child as well, and he is the one whom Voldemort marked as his equal if one interprets the scar on his behind as such. Even if all of this sounds ridiculous to me," he added as an afterthought.

"Trelawney uttered a lot of rubbish, as long as I've known her," Minerva spoke up. "I don't believe a word of what she says."

"Very well. What do you suggest we do with Albus Dumbledore?" the Chief Warlock spoke up.

"I believe that he should lose his position as headmaster of Hogwarts and serve two years in Azkaban," Augusta Longbottom was the first to speak.

"Hem hem," Dolores Umbridge spoke up, who was holding the seat of the undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. "The abducted child was merely an attention seeking brat, whom the esteemed headmaster wished to help. There was nothing wrong with that, and it does not count as child abduction. The headmaster should not receive any punishment but be commended for his efforts."

"I agree," Amos Diggory voiced his opinion.

"This is ridiculous," James replied, glaring at the witch in the pink robes.

"I agree with Lord Potter," Amelia added, crisply. "Now, I ask everyone who believes that Dumbledore should lose his position as headmaster and receive a two-year-ticket to Azkaban to send out red sparks, those who prefer for him to merely lose his position as headmaster to send out yellow sparks and those who believe that he doesn't have to be punished at all to send out green sparks."

The green sparks could be counted on one hand; while the red sparks were exceeded by the yellow ones only by three.

"Mr. Dumbledore, you are not the headmaster of Hogwarts anymore, but you are free to go," Amelia informed the old wizard, before she turned to Tiberius Ogden. "Lord Ogden, as you're a member of the Board of Governors, whom do you believe will the Board recommend as the new headmaster or headmistress?"

Ogden rose from his chair. "I believe that the Board will decide on Molly Weasley, the current deputy headmistress, as the new headmistress," he informed the Wizengamot, causing Lily to almost choke in shock.

HP

In the morning, the headline of the Daily Prophet shouted, _'Change in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts'_. Underneath, the second headline added, '_Molly Weasley now the headmistress and Albus Dumbledore the deputy headmaster_.'

The text below explained how Dumbledore had lost his position as the headmaster by vote in the Wizengamot meeting. The Board of Governors, however, had simply made the deputy take his position and put him on the position of the deputy.

"What?" Lily blurted out in annoyance. "He was kicked out of his position and simply became the deputy headmaster? I can't believe it."

"Oh well, we can always interfere at Hogwarts," James said in a soothing voice. "Let's wait until a time when it really annoys them though."

"That's true," Lily agreed, grinning mischievously.

"I can't believe how low Hogwarts has sunken," Remus spoke up, thoughtfully, causing his colleagues to chuckle.

"Molly as the headmistress sounds like a bad joke," Arthur added, shaking his head in apparent annoyance.

"She'll probably be a mere puppet under Dumbledore's regiment," Severus spoke up, letting out a deep sigh, only to add, "I'm just glad that we're away from there."

"Too true," Narcissa agreed, smiling.

HP

It was on a warm spring day in March that Gina and Dobby appeared in the Potters' private rooms one evening with a baby elf in tow.

"Mistress Lily, Master James, this is Teddy, our baby," Gina informed her masters, and Teddy stood on unsteady feet bowing deeply. "We wish for Teddy to be bonded to young Mistress Dorea. Will Teddy please receive the permission to bond to Mistress Dorea?"

To Lily's relief, Dorea just let out a huge burp, and James quickly handed the baby back to her. "What do we need to do?" she enquired, looking at Gina in expectation.

"Mistress and Master do not have to do anything. We has taught Teddy how to bond, and he will do the bonding with little Mistress Dorea," Gina informed her in a soft voice.

"Very well then, go ahead, Teddy," James said, reassuringly.

Teddy stepped over to where Dorea was now fast asleep on Lily's lap and gently laid his hand on the baby's forehead, before he uttered an incantation that was too fast for Lily to understand. After a moment, the small elf smiled broadly, and to her surprise, she noticed that Dorea was also smiling in her sleep.

"Thank you, Teddy. That was very well done," she commented the very young elf, who once again bowed deeply.

"Mistress and Master, please excuse Teddy for a few more weeks, while he further grows up and we educate him," Gina replied on her son's behalf.

"Of course," Lily and James replied, simultaneously, smiling at the young family.

HP

Just a few weeks later, on Easter Sunday, a charm alerted Minerva to the fact that a new entry had been made in the book of magical children.

"A new baby or a new muggleborn?" James asked in apparent amusement, when she rolled her eyes at the book.

Magical babies always seemed to be born, just when she was in an important discussion with her deputy headmaster. She stepped over to the shelf, where the book was sitting, and touched the visible alarm on the cover, causing the book to open at the correct page.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_My Christmas holidays are now over and I must go back to work. Therefore, I probably will not be able to update as frequently. I will, however, try to at least update twice a week. Please keep my muse entertained, as this will help greatly._

_Next chapter: "The Unicorn class"._


	10. Witches and bitches

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"A muggleborn it is," Minerva informed James. "Hermione Granger, born on 19 September, 1979, which means that she'll be four this year. Her parents are both muggles. Oh well, we should visit her on her fourth birthday I assume."

"Oh well, that's still six months away," James replied, coolly. "Before that, we still have to survive two weddings."

"Oh Merlin, don't remind me," Minerva replied, sighing. "Arcturus and I haven't even made any plans whatsoever for our wedding."

James chuckled. "Well, you already know that Unspeakable Croaker is going to wed the two of you here on the MAMA grounds; so, what else is there to plan? I don't think Sirius and Amelia have made any plans apart from asking Moody to come and wed them here, too," he added, shrugging. "I'm sure that our large house-elf population will be happy to have some work to do during the otherwise boring summer holidays."

"That's true," Minerva added, shaking her head in annoyance at the original Potter house-elves, who had more than doubled their number by having one baby after the next.

They were just about to return to work, when the book alerted them to another new entry.

"Another one on the same day?" Minerva blurted out in surprise.

"Oh well, as today is Easter, perhaps they are trying to summon their Easter eggs by accidental magic," James joked, although Minerva had the impression as if it was more an assumption than a joke, as she recalled the Easter Egg hunt for the younger children in the garden that had taken place right after breakfast.

_'It was impressive how Harry changed into his canine form and ran after Inu, probably realising how much faster Inu was,'_ she thought. Even if she had heard from Lily that Harry was a natural canine Animagus, she had never witnessed any transformation before this morning.

"That might be true," she said, pensively, before she let out a gasp upon checking the book.

"Christa Lestrange," she read, "born on December 26, 1979 to the parents Regina Lestrange (Squib) and Brian Blair (muggle). That means that she will be four as well this year. But a Lestrange?" she added in disbelief. "The mother must be about the age of Rabastan and Rodolphus, and I never knew that there was anyone else with the name Lestrange."

"On the Wizengamot, the family is set on extinct," James recalled, "considering that the last living members are in Azkaban, but we'll have to see the relationship of Christa and Regina Lestrange to them to see if there is a possible continuation of the family. I'll speak with Buckbean at the next opportunity. Considering what he told Lily, I suppose that the goblins just know everything."

Minerva nodded in understanding. "Please do so, and now, let's get back to our planning."

HP

"I wonder," Arthur spoke up, when the extended family was sitting together for tea after curfew, "if it would not be wiser to visit the two muggleborns as soon as possible. You all know how good Molly is at writing letters, and the book at Hogwarts will show the same names, even if they haven't put an alert onto it yet."

"Lily," Minerva addressed the younger witch, "would you perhaps be willing to accompany me, perhaps even together with Harry and Neville?"

"Yes, I believe that's a good idea," Lily agreed, knowing that her sons would be thrilled to meet others who were possibly going to attend school together with them. _'Harry, Neville and Inu will convince them to choose the MAMA over Hogwarts,'_ she thought in amusement.

The two witches decided to ask Godric to keep an eye on the book in the headmistress' office at Hogwarts and inform them as soon as Molly Weasley got wind of the new entries. Godric readily agreed, however, had nothing to report by the beginning of the summer holidays.

HP

Once the students had returned home, leaving the extended family of permanent residents on their own, Minerva made appointments with the Grangers and the Lestrange-Blair family.

"Harry and Neville," Minerva addressed her surrogate grandsons one evening. "Tomorrow morning, your mummy and I are going to visit two children, who might be going to attend school together with you next year. We need to tell them about magic and about our school. Do you wish to accompany us?"

=If they go…=

#... we come as well,# Inu and Fawkes spoke up.

=We can't let you have all the fun…=

#... without us.#

Harry automatically translated, as he had become used to interpret for his two familiars, who were both very chatty and recently had begun to speak just like him and Neville completing each other's sentences.

"Perhaps it would be good to take them, as muggles sometimes don't take it well to hear that their child is magical," Remus said, calmly. "It would be safer for the kids at least."

HP

On Saturday morning, Fawkes flashed the group of two adults, two toddlers and one dog to a spot near the Grangers' residence. Minerva went ahead and rang the bell, while Lily and her children followed slowly, as she did not want the Grangers to be shocked upon seeing them all at once.

"Good morning, Mrs. Granger, Mr. Granger, and you must be Hermione," Minerva greeted the family before introducing herself as Professor McGonagall. "This is my colleague Professor Lily Potter," she added. "She and her husband own the school, where we are teaching, and these are her children Harry and Neville as well as their pet familiars Fawkes and Inu."

"Please come in and take seats," Mr. Granger replied and led them inside the house and into the living room. Once everyone had settled down on the sofas with Fawkes perching on Harry's shoulder, Inu on his and Neville's feet and Hermione on her mother's lap, he enquired, "What exactly brings you here, Professors?"

"Our school," Minerva began to explain, "is the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts. We have a book that tells us if children from mundane families perform magic for the first time." Noticing that Mrs. Granger cast her husband an alert glance, she continued, "Our book informed us that Hermione is a witch and has used accidental magic on Easter Sunday morning."

"Ahh," Mrs. Granger replied, as realisation set in. "That was when Hermione and her cousin Melody were searching for Easter eggs. Melody, who is two years older than Hermione, was much faster, and all of a sudden, a large Easter egg was hovering through the air right into Hermione's outstretched hand, and we were wondering how she did that if it was her doing at all."

"Melody is mean," Hermione spoke up, grimly. "She always calls me a freak."

"You're not a freak," Harry reassured the girl, smiling at her.

"You're a witch," Neville added, smiling as well.

"I'm not a bitch," Hermione said, indignantly.

"Not a bitch…"

"… a witch," the twins immediately corrected her.

Lily nodded. "Yes, it was her doing," she replied, gently. "Our sons are magical, too, and they sometimes do things, which will look strange to you."

Mrs. Granger cast her a concerned look. "What do we have to do?" she enquired, gently pushing Hermione's bushy hair out of her face.

Minerva took over again and explained that they had come to invite Hermione to their school.

"When can I go?" Hermione blurted out with apparent interest. "In the playschool, everyone calls me freak, ever since I did some strange things before."

"Hermione has done strange things before," her mother confirmed.

"Perhaps these actions were not magically strong enough to register with our book," Minerva said, pensively.

"Hermione, why don't you take Harry and Neville into your room and play for a while, so that we can speak with the professors?" her father suggested, and Hermione happily agreed.

"Come," she instructed them and led them upstairs into her room.

"Now tell me everything about your school," she demanded, sitting on her bed, cross-legged and with her arms folded in front of her breast. "I want to know everything."

Harry and Neville exchanged a glance, before they began to explain about the primary school classes, the older students' classes, Quidditch and visits to Dragonsedge.

"Oh, this sounds fantastic," Hermione cheered. "I just hope my parents will allow me to go. What class are you in then?"

"Only children from four…"

"… can attend classes…"

"… and we are almost three," they informed her.

"Oh, that's too bad," Hermione replied, sadly. "I'm going to be four soon though."

Hermione continued to ask many questions, which the boys obediently answered, as far as it was possible for two magical two-year-olds, before they were called downstairs.

"Now Hermione, would you like to attend the school for magic?" Mr. Granger asked his daughter, who jumped up and down on both feet in obvious excitement.

"Oh yes please," she replied, eagerly. "When can I go?"

To the children's great pleasure, their parents agreed that Hermione should join Harry, Neville and Draco at the MAMA right after the summer holidays, even if only for the days, instead of attending her muggle play school.

"I can't wait for you to come to the MAMA…"

"… We'll introduce you to Draco and Dorea, our baby sister…"

"…. but she's still too small to play…"

"… and we're going to have so much fun," the boys told their new friend.

"You have a baby sister?" Hermione asked in apparent delight. "Oh, I can't wait to meet her. I love babies."

"I'll be glad to have an assistant," Lily commented, smiling at the eager girl.

In the meantime, Minerva had connected the Grangers' fireplace to the Floo network, however, with only access to or from the entrance hall of Potter Manor and had invited the Grangers to come over together with Hermione at ten o'clock the following morning.

HP

The meeting with Regina and Christa Lestrange and Brian Blair went equally pleasant, even if it was a shock for Minerva and Lily to hear that Regina was the abandoned Squib sister of Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. She had been living with her family in the magical world up to the age of six, when it had become clear that she was a Squib. Her father had then ordered a house-elf to take her to the muggle world, where she had attended a muggle school.

Only when her daughter Christa was born and she had felt that Christa seemed to have magic, Regina had told her husband about the magical world, and Brian seemed to be very supportive of it.

Christa was as eager to attend classes at the MAMA as Hermione, and Minerva and Lily spontaneously decided to ask one of the house-elves to teach the three-year-olds. "Lissy would be perfect for the job," Lily said, pensively.

"This should remain an exception though," Minerva decided, sternly, and Lily immediately agreed.

"Still, it's horrible, isn't it? Can you imagine kicking your son or daughter out of the family just because they're a Squib?" Lily blurted out once they were back at the school.

Minerva shook her head. "No," she said, letting out a deep sigh. "I can't imagine doing such a thing, but I know that many of the pureblood families would abandon their children that way. It is indeed horrible," she added. "I'm surprised that Mrs. Lestrange is such a bright woman and seems to not hold what happened against the magical world."

"Yes, that's true. She is a very likable woman," Lily agreed.

HP

Just two weeks later, Sirius and Amelia finally married, and Amelia came to live at Potter Manor together with her niece Susan, so that the trio of Harry, Neville and Draco grew to four children.

During the summer holidays, the teachers had much time to occupy the energetic children together with the now five-year-old Weasley twins as well as Bill and Charlie. They explored every single part of the school, and no shortcut or secret room remained a secret from the children. They also helped Remus with the winged horses and unicorns and sometimes assisted Pomona in the greenhouses.

Around Dorea's first birthday, just a month after Harry, Neville and Inu turned three, the baby managed to say 'Mama.' From that time onwards, Harry and Neville competed with James, trying to teach the small girl to say 'Inu' next, while their father wanted the girl to say 'Dada'.

To everyone's surprise, however, Dorea's next word was neither Inu nor Dada but 'Haha'.

"It's obvious that she adores you most," Lily told Harry, smiling at her oldest son, while Dorea hurried to say 'Nene' and 'Ini' just a few days later.

HP

When school began again on the first of September, Lissy began to care for Harry, Neville, Draco, Susan, Hermione, Christa and Inu during the day. The kind elf, who had already helped raising James, taught the children everything that they would need to know to properly attend classes in the primary school.

To Lily's relief, Inu, who remained inseparable from Harry and Neville, apparently liked Hermione and Christa, and they seemed to be comfortable around him in return.

To everyone's surprise, the six children were so eager to study and learn new things that by Christmas, each of them was perfectly capable of reading and writing at least large letters and figures.

"What am I supposed to teach them in class?" Glenda, the teacher of the four- and five-year olds asked one day, causing everyone to chuckle.

"I'm sorry," Lissy said, helplessly wringing her hands. "They wanted me to teach them…" She slowly trailed off, bowing deeply.

"Lissy," Lily said in a soft voice, "stop bowing and apologizing. You did a wonderful job so far, and it's not your fault that these six are quite advanced for their age. Everything is all right."

HP

One day at the beginning of January, the headline of the Daily Prophet shouted, _'Headmistress of Hogwarts, Molly Weasley announces Primary School classes at Hogwarts from the age of 8 onwards'._

_'As the numbers of students have been decreasing ever since the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts has opened its doors and as Hogwarts has many unused classrooms, the school's headmistress Molly Weasley has announced that Hogwarts is going to have its own primary school from September onwards,'_ the article underneath continued.

"All right, we need to continue putting efforts into the recruiting of younger children," Minerva commented in apparent determination.

"Do you know why she's doing that?" Arthur blurted out and, when everyone at the high table gave him enquiring looks, explained, "Percy is going to be eight this summer. Being the headmistress, she probably doesn't have much time to look after her three remaining children."

A collective laugh followed his explanation, and everyone relaxed, knowing that the MAMA's reputation had become much better than that of Hogwarts during the two years since it's opening.

"I wonder how long they'll be able to keep Hogwarts open with so few students," Remus spoke up, and several colleagues nodded their consent.

HP

Now that Dorea was sixteen months old, perfect at running around and shouting as loud as her older siblings, the baby spent much time with the older children – especially as Susan and often enough Hermione and Christa were around to look after her. The three girls loved caring for Dorea, who just adored her big brothers and their friends. This gave Lily some much appreciated time for her potions research together with Severus.

One day, there were just in the middle of a intense discussion about an advanced Wolfsbane potion, when James stuck his head through the door.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but we need some efficient help. Minerva is just in a shouting contest with that bitch Umbridge about some kind of werewolf law. She demands that we hand over Remus to her, which of course we won't. Arcturus has taken him with him to Black Manor for the time being," he added as an afterthought.

"We'll be there in a minute," Severus promised, grimly.

HP

By the time Lily and Severus entered Minerva's and James' office, Minerva and James were both still engaged in a heated discussion with a woman in pink robes. Lily could recall that she had met her once or twice in the Wizengamot. She could not remember what the woman had said at that time, only that it had been ridiculous.

"Professor Lupin is taking the Wolfsbane potion on a regular basis and is in no way endangering any student," Severus spoke up in an icy voice.

"According to Albus Dumbledore and Molly Weasley," Umbridge replied in a high voice, which Lily immediately disliked, "the Wolfsbane potion is extremely difficult to brew and is not safe."

"Nonsense," Severus growled. "Professor Lily Potter and I are both in possession of our potions mastery and as such are entitled to brew and administer potions like the Wolfsbane potion."

"I must still insist that you let me take the wolf with me," Umbridge countered.

"No," Minerva said, crisply. "And now I suggest that you leave our office, before we have to call the Aurors and have you removed from here."

Umbridge was still considering an adequate response, when Amelia entered the office, alerted to the problem by the portraits all around the manor.

"Dolores, what is the problem?" she asked in a no-nonsense voice.

"You're employing a werewolf here, which is against the law," Umbridge informed her, grinning mischievously.

"I don't know of such a law," Amelia disagreed.

"I just made it this morning," Umbridge replied, seemingly contented.

"There was no Wizengamot to confirm it since this morning," Amelia stated, calmly, while the MAMA professors listened in amazement at her ability to keep the upper hand.

"The Minister of Magic has approved it," Umbridge replied with apparent pleasure.

"Very well," Amelia said, nodding in confirmation, "as soon as tomorrow morning, we're going to have a Wizengamot meeting to have a vote of no confidence against Minister Fudge. I'll send out the invitations." With that, she turned towards the fireplace, pulling the pink robed witch in with her before shouting, "Ministry of Magic, Aurors' Office."

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "The Parsel mouth"._


	11. The Parselmouth

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

_'__'I could think of better ways to spend my Saturday,'_ Lily thought in annoyance, as she took her seat on the Wizengamot.

Cygnus Greengrass as the Chief Warlock opened the session and thanked everyone for coming on such a short notice, before he gave the floor to Amelia.

"Good morning everyone," Amelia began to speak. "Yesterday, the undersecretary to the minister, Dolores Umbridge, has invented a werewolf law, which allows her to simply arrest members of our society, and Minister Fudge has passed the law without the consent of the Wizengamot.

"Werewolves turn into a wolf one night per month; however, if they take the wolfsbane potion before the full moon, they retain full consciousness. Nevertheless, Miss Umbridge came to the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts last night to arrest Professor Lupin, a werewolf, who always takes the wolfsbane potion. On top of it, in spite of always being fully conscious thanks to the wolfsbane, he willingly makes his colleagues lock him into a werewolf-proof cellar during the full moon.

"I ask for a vote of no confidence against Minister Fudge for condoning his undersecretary's underhanded actions by abusing his ministerial powers."

"Hem hem," Dolores Umbridge spoke up, without even waiting for the Chief Warlock to invite her to speak, "werewolves are just animals, and considering how the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts behaved towards our esteemed former Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore, they can not be trusted."

"Objection, Chief Warlock," Augusta Longbottom spoke up and, when Greengrass gave her the floor, added, "I am teaching Magical Etiquette at the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts, and the teachers are extremely responsible as is Remus Lupin, the werewolf in question. He is also a wonderful professor, and the school does not only have a sole potions master but also a potions mistress in addition, who would be able to provide the wolfsbane if the potions master was incapacitated for some reason. I feel very safe in Mr. Lupin's company. I second Amelia's request for a vote of no confidence against Minister Fudge."

"I agree," Narcissa Malfoy, who was occupying Draco's seat until the time when her son was going to be of age, stated.

"A werewolf who has taken the wolfsbane is absolutely safe, and Professor Snape and I are working on developing a cure for lycanthropy," Lily spoke up. "Unfortunately, we can't promise if and when we'll succeed, however, Professor Lupin is willing to test any possible potion we deem worthy, and even when testing a new potion, he will be safely locked into the werewolf cellar, which Charlus Potter specifically built for him a few years ago."

Without any further discussion, the vote took place, and ninety percent of the members voted against the current minister.

Fudge left the room without further comment. Shaking his head in apparent annoyance, Greengrass addressed the members again. "Whom do you suggest as interim minister?" he asked, looking from one side to the next.

Arcturus Black rose from his seat. "I suggest Amelia Bones-Black."

"I second the motion," James spoke up, and the majority of the members agreed.

"Amelia Bones-Black, do you accept to become the interim Minister of Magic and prepare the election of a new minister for May 31?" Greengrass enquired.

"I accept," Amelia replied, adding, "and I thank you all very much for your confidence. Now, the first act of my position as interim minister is to fire the undersecretary. Dolores Umbridge, you are not needed here anymore. Please vacate your office in an hour at the latest."

"Hem hem," the witch in the pink robes, whom Lily disliked so much, spoke up, "You can't do that."

"I can, and I've just done so," Amelia replied in a for the kind witch surprisingly cold voice.

"Very well, as there are no other topics today, I end this session of the Wizengamot. Have a good day and thank you for coming," Greengrass announced, before he leaned over to Amelia to confer with her.

HP

A few days later, the Daily Prophet announced a change in the teaching staff at Hogwarts.

_'Molly Weasley remains the headmistress in spite of the fact that she has not even been a teacher before being assigned the position. Albus Dumbledore, the deputy headmaster, is the Transfiguration professor, former Minister Fudge teaches Charms, Rubeus Hagrid Care of Magical Creatures, Amos Diggory Potions, former department head at the ministry Barty Crouch Defence Against the Dark Arts, Tiberius Odgen Ancient Runes, Sturgis Podmore Arithmancy, Arabella Figg, a Squib, who has so far lived in the muggle world, Muggle Studies, Mundungus Fletcher is the caretaker and Dolores Umbridge the headmistress and so-far sole teacher for the newly setup primary school. The new Hogwarts staff is looking forward to welcome your children at the old, esteemed school for Britain's magical world.'_

"Oh Merlin, they must be desperate," Minerva spoke up in apparent amusement, causing everyone to chuckle.

"I wonder how many students they have at all," Lily added, smirking.

"Not many, that's for sure, especially with Umbridge responsible for the young ones," James spoke up, grinning.

"And Crouch for Defence?" Sirius quipped. "The poor students. I could never stand that ba…"

"Sirius!" Amelia cut in. "Behave yourself."

"Yes Minister," Sirius replied, grinning at his wife.

HP

One day right after a staff meeting, Lily addressed Salazar Slytherin in the portrait of the founders of Hogwarts.

"Professor Slytherin, as you told us that you invented many potions, which are to a great extent lost in this time, I must ask you something," she said in a soft voice and, receiving a nod from the ancient wizard, continued, "Did you perhaps invent a cure for lycanthropy?"

Slytherin shook his head before enquired, "And what, please, might be lycanthropy?"

"Werewolves," his wife, Helga, informed him, only to add, "We did not have any werewolves in our time."

Lily profusely thanked the ancient couple for the information and left the room together with Severus, who had followed the conversation with interest.

"I'm surprised that they did not have werewolves in the middle ages," he said to her, once they passed the portrait of Merlin in front of the staff room.

"That's because I cured them with my wolvescure potion," Merlin spoke up, causing Lily and Severus to jerk around to view the wizard in his portrait.

"You invented a cure for lycanthropy?" Severus enquired, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes my boy," Merlin confirmed, smiling. "Don't ask me for the exact content though, as more than one thousand years have passed. You should be able to locate the recipe in my vault at Gringotts though, you and your husband's vaults by now," he added in the direction of Lily.

"Thank you so much. I'll go and look for the recipe right away," Lily decided.

"It must be in one of my later scrolls," Merlin said, thoughtfully. "If you take me with you in a small photo frame, I can help you search for it."

HP

Right after the last afternoon class, Lily and Severus made their way to Gringotts and entered vault number 1, which had once belonged to Merlin but was part of the Potter vaults by now. To Lily's relief, the door opened with a small drop of her blood. She pulled the small photo frame out of her robe pocket and curiously looked around, only to realise that the vault was not extremely large, however, was exclusively filled with scrolls.

Merlin immediately began to guide her to the right shelf and had her open a series of scrolls, before they found the correct one.

"It's written in my language of the time," he explained, seeing that Lily and Severus stared at the text in apparent disbelief. "You should be able to translate it into your English by a simple charm," he continued, smirking.

Lily immediately pointed her wand at the scroll, and an in instant later, the text was readable for her and Severus.

'_This is too good to be true,'_ Lily thought with an inexplainable sense of foreboding, just before Severus blurted out in clear disappointment, "We're lacking two of the ingredients, moon berry leaves and sheep fern."

"Oh no," Lily groaned, following Severus' outstretched finger with her eyes.

"Very well, let's take the scroll with us and return home now," Severus replied, letting out a deep sigh. "This recipe will still help us with our research."

HP

During the staff meeting the following day, Severus informed their colleagues how close they had come to having a cure for lycanthropy, when Salazar interrupted him from the portrait.

"Rubbish," he bellowed, causing everyone to stare at him in apparent shock. "You'll be able to find both, moon berry leaves and sheep fern, in my potions lab at Hogwarts."

The professors stared at the ancient wizard in bewilderment, before he continued, sounding bored, "The lab is kept under a permanent refreshment charm. Just speak with Amaterasu, my basilisk, and she'll show you the way."

"How do we even get to Hogwarts?" Lily enquired. "If we just intruded, I'm sure that Molly Weasley, as the headmistress, or even Dumbledore, would be alerted by the wards that we entered the premises."

Seeing Salazar roll his eyes in apparent annoyance, she glanced at her husband, who merely shrugged.

"Now," Godric spoke up, "are you and your husband the owners of Hogwarts or not? Simply ask Fawkes to take you to the founders' quarters. Tell our portraits what you need and also go to the parlour and speak with Hogwarts herself. Ask her to change the wards to answer to the two of you. I'll go ahead and inform us."

"Thank you Godric," Lily replied, smiling. "We'll ask Fawkes to take us right after the staff meeting."

"Take that doggy of yours with you," Salazar spoke up, smirking.

_'Why would we take Inu with us?'_ Lily thought in bewilderment, however, decided to not question the ancient wizard's instruction.

"We will," she confirmed, smiling.

HP

Lily and James decided to head to Hogwarts on Saturday morning and take Severus and Inu with them, knowing that Minerva and Poppy, the surrogate grannies, would take good care of Harry, Neville and Dorea, while they were away.

Fawkes flashed them right into the founders' quarters, where the founders in the portrait greeted them with apparent enthusiasm.

"Now, first of all, Lily and James, you go and speak with Hogwarts about the wards. Introduce yourselves to her as her owners," Godric instructed them. "In the meantime, Salazar will teach Severus an important spell, which needs to be cast over the school and grounds."

Lily followed James in the direction, in which Godric pointed, noticing that Inu remained with Severus, who obediently turned to Salazar.

"Lily and James," the voice of an elderly woman greeted them, as soon as they entered the parlour, "how nice of you to visit an old castle."

"Hogwarts?" James enquired, glancing around the room.

"Yes, I am Hogwarts," the voice confirmed, "and I am glad that you finally realised that you're my owners. One day, you must also bring little Harry to me. As the first heir of all four of my founders, he's very special to me."

"All right," Lily agreed, almost regretting that she had not brought the children.

"Please give me a moment to bond with you and change the wards to obey to you," Hogwarts continued, before she quietened.

After a moment, Lily noticed in surprise that a golden glow engulfed her and James, however, it was over before she could closely examine it.

"All done," Hogwarts informed them. "You are now able to control the wards, and you and I can communicate through telepathy. I will alert you if I need your help in any way, and if there is something that you wish me to do, you can just contact me by thinking to me."

'Thank you, Hogwarts,' Lily thought, envisioning the castle as the recipient of her thought.

'You're welcome, and I thank you for taking good care of me,' she heard the castle's voice in her head.

"Now I believe that you're needed to cast a spell together with Severus," Hogwarts continued to speak. "You probably know by now that Salazar has a basilisk familiar, Amaterasu. She's a real cutie, and she would never willingly harm anyone. Around forty years ago, however, there was a speaker of Parseltongue, and he forced Amaterasu out into the castle, where a student was killed by the look into her eyes. While he was alive, Salazar used to cast a spell over the whole school and the grounds that made everyone within immune against the basilisk's deadly look. Salazar has taught Severus the spell and advised him from where he has to cast it. There is a certain spot behind the lake, from where it is possible to oversee the whole area. Please go and assist him, before you head into Salazar's chamber to speak with Amaterasu. She knows Salazar's chamber best."

Lily and James profusely thanked Hogwarts, before they left the parlour to assist Severus with his task.

Lily almost chuckled at the sight of Severus standing in front of the founders' portrait with Inu in his arm, deeply engrossed in a conversation with Salazar about potions ingredients while gently caressing Inu's fur.

She felt sure that only Inu's eager waggling of his tail alerted Severus to their presence.

HP

Casting notice-me-not and invisibility charms on each other, Lily, James and Severus headed out onto the grounds, closely followed by an equally invisible Inu. Severus led them to the spot that Salazar had specified before showing them the wand movement. Together, they cast the charm, as they wanted it to be as strong as possible, even if knowing that Salazar had cast it alone at his time.

That done, they returned to the founders' quarters, where Salazar had already told Severus the way to the Chamber, which led through Helga's and Salazar's bathroom.

However, when they arrived in a large stone room, which reminded Lily of the dungeons, the basilisk was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe she went into the forest to hunt," Severus guessed. The three colleagues slowly walked through the chamber, looking around with interest. Finally, Severus pointed to the wall. "These stones are lighter than the others, and they have the form of a door," he said eagerly. "Shall we try to open it?"

Unfortunately, whatever the three tried, the door did not budge. Only when Inu, who had so far been quietly following them, hissed something, the stones moved and rearranged themselves to a door sized opening in the wall. They hesitantly walked through and ended up in a living room, which was built around a huge fireplace. One side of the room was furnished with very old but comfortable looking chairs in different shades of green as well as a heavy oak table; the other side was equipped with a desk, a single chair and a bookshelf. All of a sudden, however, loud hissing sounds could be heard from the other side of the door that made them look back, alert.

Lily stared in shock at Inu, when he barked what seemed to be a response to the enormous basilisk, when its head appeared in the doorframe.

"Inu?" Lily addressed the canine, who looked at her, questioningly. "Can you understand the basilisk?"

Rather seeing the dog's response than understanding his bark, Lily added, "Can you please tell her that we're friends of Salazar and would like to see his potions lab?"

While Inu obediently translated, she whispered to the others, "We should have brought Salazar in a small frame. Coming without him was stupid, especially as we don't even understand Inu's barking."

To everyone's surprise, however, the basilisk slithered ahead and without further ado led them through what seemed to be the living room into a library with hundreds of bookshelves, hissing something to open doors every now and then. Hissing at a bookshelf, she made the shelf move into the room before moving the next three shelves on the right side to the left until the last shelf lead to the potions lab.

"He certainly protected his private lab well," Severus quipped. "But it was worth the effort," he added in absolute amazement as they entered the large room that had about the size of the Potions classrooms at Hogwarts and at the MAMA.

The room held an enormous table with six work stations, six sinks on one wall, shelves with empty phials and dozens of cauldrons in different sizes on the opposite wall and huge shelves with ingredients and potions on the farther part of the room.

Severus strode to the ingredients shelf, and Lily realised that he seemed very impressed by Salazar's lab. _'It's not easy to impress Severus,'_ she thought in amusement, as she interestedly followed him to the ingredients shelf and half-way though the room suddenly realised that it was much colder than before. Salazar's rooms were about as cool as the dungeons; however, this part of the potions lab was at least ten degrees cooler. "It's cold here," she voiced, slightly shivering.

"Yes, it's like a fridge," James agreed, while Severus absentmindedly examined a few ingredients.

"These ingredients are worth several millions of Galleons," he finally said. "There are several kinds of herbs and plants, which we don't have here in our time. They are as fresh as they were one thousand years ago because Salazar charmed the room to be so cold."

"Do you think we could try to plant a few of them and grow them in the greenhouses?" James enquired.

"I believe so," Severus replied in apparent excitement, "especially as these shelves seem to be self-replenishing."

"Did you see moon berry leaves and sheep fern yet?" Lily enquired, realising that Severus' excitement seemed to be contagious.

"Yes, I've got some of both," Severus replied, smirking, as he patted his robe pocket with his right hand.

They decided to only take the moon berry leaves and sheep fern with them for the time being and come again equipped with boxes and utensils to keep some of each ingredient fresh for the transport to the MAMA.

Just when they were on their way back through the chamber, realising gratefully that Inu made all the doors close behind them with a few hisses, Amaterasu hissed something at Inu, who in turn barked at Lily.

"What is it, dear?" Lily asked Inu, who stared at her with a blank face, before he ran ahead and came back, apparently motioning her to follow him.

All of a sudden, Lily felt strangely happy, even if she did not know why.

=I'm sssorry, I have taken the liberty of bonding with you. Inu told me that you were hiss mummy and the kindessst witch he knew and suggested that I bond with you. Since you're the heir of my Salazzzar, I found it adequate to do so," the basilisk hissed, and to her surprise, Lily could understand her. "I am Amaterasssu," the basilisk added.

"Hello Amaterasu," Lily replied, smiling at the huge animal in front of her. "Thank you so much for showing us to the potions lab. I appreciate it very much. We needed two ingredients to heal our friend from lycanthropy, and we found them in the lab."

"What isss lycanthropy?" Amaterasu enquired.

"The illness that makes a human turn into a werewolf," Lily explained.

"Oh, then it wasss a good thing that you came here. Inu told me that you are the ownersss of Hogwartsss. I hope that you will come and visit me again, soon. I am very lonely here, and it's cold. Can you perhapsss make the fireplace warm?"

"Of course," Lily reassured her and turned to switch on the fireplace.

"Amaterasu bonded to me and told me that she was lonely and that it was cold with the fireplace being off," she informed the others who nodded in understanding.

"Let me try to connect the fireplace to my office at MAMA," James said, pensively, before he waved his wand in a complicated movement. "Let me try," he added and stepped into the fireplace, shouting, "Headmaster's office, MAMA."

Severus and Lily exchanged a look of pure exasperation. "The question is what the name of this fireplace is," Severus stated, causing Lily to nod.

"I'll go back to the parlour and ask Hogwarts," she offered, just when James stepped out of the fireplace, grinning.

"It worked," he told them, "and the name of this fireplace is 'Salazar's Chamber'."

"That's great but how?" Lily asked in surprise, causing James to smirk.

"Love, I haven't been an Auror for nothing," he quipped, before he motioned for her and Severus to step into the fireplace and return home. "I'm going to bring Inu," he added, gently lifting the canine, who was busily hissing a good-bye to the basilisk, into his arms.

"Bye Amaterasu, we'll come and visit you soon," Lily promised, before she returned to the MAMA.

HP

"How can a Crup be a Parselmouth?" she asked, when the extended family and staff sat together for a late-night tea that evening.

"Perhaps the basilisk bonded to him?" Sirius suggested, causing Lily to shake her head.

"No, he already hissed something to open a door, before the basilisk even showed up," she replied, sighing.

"Could it have something to do how he defeated Voldemort?" Minerva asked, thoughtfully.

"You mean that he received some of Voldemort's powers?" James asked in apparent disbelief.

"That would be possible," Remus added, pensively.

"I'll ask Inu in my canine form at the next opportunity," Sirius promised. "Perhaps he knows something."

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Kids and dogs"._


	12. Kids and dogs

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

Harry woke up with a jolt, as Inu began to bark for some reason. Something was strange, however. He realised in surprise that instead of his hands he had paws. It had happened twice or even three times before that he had woken up as a doggy like Inu, but he had no idea how he happened to become a dog. He just knew that he could simply wish himself back into his usual form.

He quickly transformed back and, seeing that Neville was still fast asleep, got up and went to look for his mummy, when he recalled what Inu had told him, when they went to bed the previous evening.

_'He told me that he could speak with a very large snake. It was at Hogwarts. He went there with Mummy and Daddy,'_ he thought. Entering his parents' room, asked, "Can we go to Hogwarts? I want to speak with the snake."

"Oh Harry," his mother replied, gently cradling him close, "you wouldn't be able to speak with the snake. Only Inu can for some reason communicate with it."

"Why?" Harry enquired.

"We don't know that," his father replied, smiling.

"But Inu can tell me what the snake says," Harry resolved and, pondering for a moment if he should tell his parents, he finally blurted out, "I was a doggy this morning."

His mother smiled. "I know, son. You're what they call a natural Animagus. Other people, like Granny Minerva, Daddy or me, must practise a long time to be able to transform into an animal, but you have been able to take a form like Inu's for at least two and a half years now without ever practising."

"You're a very lucky little wizard, son," his father added, grinning.

"How can I change into Inu?" Harry asked, unsure how to transform at all.

"As far as I've observed so far, you always transformed when Inu was in some kind of distress," his mother replied, thoughtfully. "How did you change back earlier?"

Harry shrugged, before he admitted, matter-of-factly, "I just wanted to be back."

"So you wished yourself back to your human form?" his father clarified.

"Yes," Harry replied, unsurely.

"Try to just wish yourself into your doggy form," his mother suggested.

_'I want to look like Inu,_' Harry thought, instinctively knowing what to expect, when the transformation set in. An instant later, he eagerly waggled his tail at his parents and at Inu, who chose that moment to dash into the room.

=Come,= Inu told him, and Harry carefully tried to jump off his mother's lap; however, the floor seemed so far away, and he gratefully licked his mother's hand, when she gently put him down onto the floor. Inu immediately began to chase him through the room, feigned biting him and attempted to put his paws onto his back. When Harry still felt slightly unstable on his unused dog paws, mere three minutes later, he had forgotten all about it and eagerly engaged himself in a mock fight with Inu, as they played, having a lot of fun.

HP

"Kids and dogs," Lily sighed to James, as they observed the two canines rolling over the floor of the master suite.

"Absolutely," her husband agreed; however, the grin that he was unable to hide showed her that he found it extremely funny.

By now, Neville had woken up and sleepily entered the room, his lower lip quivering dangerously upon seeing the two canines play. However, Inu and Harry immediately dashed over to their brother and began to lick his face with fervour, causing the boy to laugh at their antics. "Harry?" he asked, looking from one to the other dog, nodding in understanding, when one of the canines nodded his head.

"I want to become a dog, too," he said to Lily, who returned a sad look.

"It's not easy, Neville," she told him. "Harry is a natural Animagus, which is why he's able to easily become a dog. Normally, it takes people years of practice to become an Animagus."

To her relief, Harry had already realised what was wrong and quickly transformed back. Heading over to his brother, he gave him a bear's hug and said, "Morning Nene."

"Morning Harry, morning Inu," Neville replied, seemingly consoled.

"I want to go to Hogwarts to speak with the snake," Harry informed his brother, who was all for it, although Lily was certain that they did not even know what a snake was, let alone a basilisk.

"No," Lily contradicted in a firm voice. "Next Sunday, in exactly one week, we'll go there and visit Amaterasu."

"Today, you're going to go unicorn riding with Uncle Remus, aren't you?" James spoke up, causing the twins to cheer.

"If I can change into Inu, can Inu change into me?" Harry suddenly asked, causing Lily to stare at her son, wide-eyed.

"No sweetie, he can't do that," she replied, wondering how to explain the difference to a three-year-old.

"Humans can have an Animagus form, but animals can't change their form," James came to her help.

"But still, Inu can speak with snakes," Lily added, thinking, _'How curious.'_

HP

While Remus took Harry and Neville unicorn riding, something that Inu did not overly like, as he preferred to remain on the floor, Sirius transformed into his canine form and accompanied Inu on a walk to the nearby coast.

=Do you know why you're able to understand and speak Parseltongue?= Sirius enquired.

=What is Parseltongue?= Inu returned the question.

=Snake language,= Sirius explained. =I heard that you were able to confer with the basilisk at Hogwarts.=

Inu moved his tail to the left and back. =I don't know why I can understand it, but I do,= he replied, matter-of-factly. =I can even speak with the small garden snakes in the park,= he added.

=Among humans, it's a very rare ability,= Sirius informed him, =and I haven't heard of a dog having this skill.=

Inu's tail went from the right to the left and back, which Sirius understood as a shrug.

=Do you thing that it's possible that you received the ability from the evil wizard, whom you beat two and a half years ago, when you received the scar on your behind?= Sirius asked, hesitantly.

=That might be possible,= Inu replied, thoughtfully, and admitted, =Ever since then, I know things which happened long before Harry and I were even born.=

=Is that so?= Sirius asked, alert. =What kind of things?= he added, questioningly.

Inu nodded. =For example, I know that Dumbledore was responsible for his sister's death and such things.=

=Inu,= Sirius replied, pensively, =would you mind if we, or rather your parents, took you to the goblins to have your scar examined some time?=

=They won't kill me, will they?= Inu asked, causing Sirius to almost choke.

=Of course not,= he emphasized. =Do you believe that your parents would allow anyone to do anything bad to you?=

=No,= Inu had to admit, and Sirius decided to finish the conversation for the time being.

Two minutes later, the two canines were running along the shore of the Welsh coast, chasing each other as if everything was as all right as it should be.

HP

When Sirius returned home, still deep in thoughts about the matter with Inu, Amelia was sitting at the desk in their living room swearing at a parchment in front of her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, as he leaned over to kiss her.

"Why did I ever agree to become the interim minister?" Amelia asked. "It's nothing but trouble."

Sirius quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "And why is that my dear?" he then asked with curiosity.

Amelia rolled her eyes in apparent annoyance. "Dumbledore is the only candidate besides myself," she admitted, "and he's trying to make amendments. Oh well, let's just say he's driving me nuts," she interrupted her tirade.

"He won't have a chance against you anyway," Sirius replied, matter-of-factly.

Amelia shook her head. "I won't have a chance. He has many friends left."

Sirius let out a snort. "Have you seen today's Daily Prophet?" he asked in apparent amusement. They brought a full page with information about you and Dumbledore. I don't know who the writer is, but they must be extremely biased towards you. No one is going to vote for Dumbledore after reading all the revelations about his meddling."

Narcissa chuckled, as she accompanied Susan into the room and had heard Sirius' last words. "That was probably Rita Skeeter. She made a special deal with Minerva years ago, and she seems to exactly write what Minerva dictates her."

"That's good to know," Sirius quipped, as he raised Susan into his arm and playfully swung her through the air, causing the almost four-year old to scream in pleasure.

"Now Susan, tell your Auntie that she's the best," Sirius told the girl, who laughed and turned to Amelia.

"Auntie, of course you're the best," she said, giggling, "and not because Sirius says so. I think so."

"Thanks Susan," Amelia replied, smiling at her niece who was like a daughter to her.

HP

While Sirius and Remus occupied her older trio and James looked after Dorea, Lily busied herself in the potions lab together with Severus. Using the ingredients, which they had brought from Salazar's lab at Hogwarts, they brewed one dose of the wolvescure potion and offered it to Remus, who gratefully accepted it.

Without even further thinking about it, he gulped down the slightly sweet potion, looking at the brewers in expectation.

"Oh well, we can only wait and see," Severus told him in a no-nonsense voice.

"I know," Remus agreed. "Anyway, thank you both very much for brewing it for me. I just hope that it'll work."

In spite of knowing that he was healed due to the missing effects before the full moon, he spent the night of the full moon in the werewolf chamber, and to everyone's joy, he did not transform.

"Lily and Severus, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me," he said to his colleagues at breakfast, teary-eyed.

"Uncy Moony sad?" Dorea enquired, as she climbed onto his lap.

"No Dorea, I'm very happy," Remus assured her, only to add, "Your mummy and Uncle Severus are absolutely amazing."

"Thank Merlin," Severus commented. "We simply brewed it after his recipe."

"And you must thank Salazar for storing the ingredients, not us," Lily added.

"I will certainly do so," Remus confirmed, smiling. "Still, I will spend one more night in the werewolf chamber, before I believe that I'm really cured."

"You are cured," Poppy confirmed after a quick flick of her wand and an uttered spell. "Nevertheless, I suggest keeping the matter a secret for the time being, considering that Lily and Severus are unable to cure the whole werewolf population of Britain at once, especially during the school year."

"You're absolutely right," Remus agreed. "Will you please declare me cured then by the beginning of the summer holidays, and would that be all right with you, Lily and Severus?"

Needless to say that the triple response was positive, and the extended family and colleagues began to plan a huge celebration for the weekend.

HP

Another celebration should soon follow, as on May 31, Amelia was elected as the new minister with a majority of 85 percent against Albus Dumbledore.

"Oh Merlin Padfoot, now you're married to the Minister of Magic," James groaned, only to add, "You can't do any nonsense anymore."

While everyone chuckled, Amelia glared at him, and Harry cast him a look of pure disappointment that was emphasized by Inu's growling.

"Uncle Padfoot can't do any funny things now?" he enquired.

"No Harry, once a Marauder, always a Marauder," Sirius replied, "and Amelia knew that I was one, before she married me."

"Kay," Harry confirmed, smiling broadly, while Amelia faked a groan, uttering something like "Why in the world did I marry a Marauder?"

"Because you're the best," Sirius replied, gently patting her belly, causing everyone to notice that it was not so flat anymore.

"Amelia?" Minerva spoke up. "Was there something you needed to tell us?"

Rolling her eyes at her husband, Amelia replied, "It's only the fifth week."

"Lily, did you hear that?" James spoke up, alert. "Look at poor Dorea without any siblings. Let's have another one to join Amelia's and Padfoot's baby.

Amelia and Lily exchanged a look of pure annoyance, the question "Why did I marry a Marauder?" clearly written in their expressions.

HP

At the beginning of the summer holidays, Lily, James and Sirius went to see Buckbean together with Harry, Neville, Dorea and Inu.

"Listen Inu, whenever you feel uncertain and want me to transform into my canine form, just tell me," Sirius said to Inu, when the small group was waiting for Buckbean to come and lead them into his office.

Inu quickly licked the man's hand in gratitude, causing Lily to smile.

_'He's so cute,'_ she thought, just when Buckbean arrived.

The goblin led them into his office, and Lily realised in surprise that Harry changed into his canine form, as soon as they reached the goblin's office.

_'He probably senses Inu's insecurity,'_ she thought, feeling amazed by Harry's thoughtfulness.

Sirius quickly explained about Inu's ability to speak Parseltongue as well as the memories he had received after getting rid of Voldemort. "Unspeakable Ra suspects that there might be a Horcrux buried behind his scar," he continued, "and we'd like to ask you to examine it and find out if there's any danger."

To Lily's relief, Sirius and Arcturus had explained about Horcruxes to her and James beforehand. He had even informed them about his suspicion that Voldemort had made several Horcruxes and would probably be able to come back some day. Arcturus had also promised that the Unspeakables were looking into the matter and were trying their best to locate them.

After a few minutes of waving his hand over Inu, Buckbean returned to his desk looking contented.

"No," he said in a firm voice, "there is no Horcrux behind Inu's scar. It's simply a curse scar, through which he was able to receive knowledge, abilities and memories from the Dark Lord. It is not active anymore though, and even if Inu will be able to use the abilities he received, it does not have any other influence on him."

"Thank you so much for checking on him," Lily was the first to respond, feeling very much relieved at the news. She pulled Inu onto her lap and gently cuddled him close, smiling, when the canine licked her face over and over in apparent relief.

"Why don't we make a detour to the Magical Menagerie and buy a large bone for Inu?" Sirius suggested, once they left Gringotts.

"Ice cweam?" Dorea spoke up, giving Lily a pleading look.

"All right, first to Fortescue's and then to the Magical Menagerie," Sirius agreed immediately, causing the three children to cheer.

HP

The summer holidays passed quickly, and Harry, Neville, Draco and Susan were extremely excited at the thought of becoming pupils of the Unicorn class soon. Seeing that the teachers were taking turns looking after the four four-year-olds as well as the six-year-old twins and little Dorea, Minerva invited Hermione and Christa to join their friends at the MAMA for a few hours each day. The eight children spent much time playing with Inu, Fawkes and the other animals on the grounds, and together with Bill and Charlie Weasley, who was soon going to become a first-year, they helped the professors with the preparation for their classes.

While Harry, Christa and the twins loved to assist with easy potions in Severus' lab, whenever the Potions master had time to oversee them, Neville and Susan preferred helping Pomona Sprout in the greenhouses. Hermione, Draco and Dorea rather spent time assisting Remus with the winged horses and unicorns.

HP

At the same time, Lily and Severus busied themselves brewing as many batches of the wolvescure potion as they could. To their relief, they only had to deliver them to St. Mungo's, as Head Healer O'Brian hat promised that he would see to the distribution.

As her first really pleasant action as the new Minister of Magic, Amelia awarded Lily and Severus the Order of Merlin first class for curing the werewolves.

HP

One day, Minerva, James and Lily were sitting in Minerva's office discussing the twenty new four-year-olds that were registered for the Unicorn class, when Dobby suddenly popped into the room wringing his hands.

"Excuse me, ladies and sirs, for interrupting, but there is something wrong with the portrait of the founders in the staff room," the elf informed them, seemingly distressed.

"Let's have a look," Minerva decided. "Thanks Dobby for alerting us."

"That sounds like a prank that Sirius would play on us," Lily mused aloud, when she followed the others into the staff room, only to stop dead in her tracks upon seeing Godric Gryffindor laughing his head off.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "The Unicorn class" (really this time) :P._


	13. The Unicorn class

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"Godric, what happened?" Minerva asked in apparent disbelief.

"I just went to speak with my portrait in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts," Godric blurted out between chuckles. "Guess how many students are registered for their primary school?"

"Thirty?" Lily guessed, knowing that the primary school at Hogwarts was said to commence at eight, so that there would be three pre-Hogwarts classes.

"No," Godric chuckled, "one."

"One?" Lily asked, incredulously. "One student for three classes?"

"Yes," Godric confirmed. "Percy Weasley."

"Oh Merlin," James said, dryly, "and our Unicorn class alone has twenty pupils."

"Oh well, I'm sure it has helped the reputation of our school that Lily and Severus received the Order of Merlin for a potion from a recipe of Merlin himself," Minerva stated, only to add, "Perhaps it would be worth checking his other inventions."

"I'll do that," Lily resolved. "Now that we're almost finished with the wolvescure…" She trailed off upon seeing James glare at her.

"You can do research, but only on parchments please. No brewing of unknown potions before the baby will be born," he instructed her in a firm voice.

Lily merely rolled her eyes at her husband, thinking, '_That coming from one of the Marauders is gross.'_ However, she refrained from voicing her thought and merely nodded.

HP

_'Finally, we can attend school,'_ Harry thought, happily, when his mummy ushered him and his siblings into the entrance hall, where Glenda was already waiting for them. From now on, he was to call her Miss Chittock. _'I must remember that,'_ he reminded himself, glad that his mummy had told him, Neville and Draco again the previous day._ 'Thank Merlin Neville, Inu, Draco, Hermione and Christa are with me,'_ he thought, when one after the next other four-year-olds arrived through the fireplace.

His mummy and Glenda greeted each of them, and only when fourteen other children had arrived, they led the whole group to the Unicorn classroom.

During the holidays, Bill, Charlie and the twins had helped them paint a huge unicorn onto the door, which the other pupils now admired. Somehow, Harry felt proud that he was living in the school, which they were going to attend from now on.

HP

Everyone was to wait in the front of the classroom, while Glenda read each of their names. The pupil, who had been called, was shown to their seat. Harry did not know how his mummy and Glenda had chosen who was supposed to sit next to whom. He only noticed that the pupils were called up in what seemed to be an illogical order.

A girl named Hannah was the first to be called, followed by Susan. There was Mandy, Lavender, Millicent, Brigitte, Vincent, Tracey, Seamus, Gregory, Daphne, followed by Hermione, Su, followed by Christa, Neville and Draco, then there were Vanessa and Theodore, before his own name was called.

He felt extremely relieved, when he was assigned the seat next to Christa. '_Thank Merlin, together with one of us,'_ he thought, happily, smiling, when Inu made himself comfortable on his feet.

Absentminded, he completely missed Dean being called and only looked up, when his mummy left the classroom and Glenda began to speak.

HP

To Harry's annoyance, as much as he liked Glenda, her class was boring. He and his five siblings and closest friends were already able to read easy children's books by themselves and to write in capital letters; however, most of the others could not read at all let alone write.

Glenda observed the class for three days, before she assigned Harry, Neville, Draco, Susan, Hermione, Christa and Daphne two of the other pupils each and asked them to help their classmates do a floor puzzle with letters in order to teach them the capital letters.

Harry and his siblings and friends eagerly complied, and all of a sudden, the class was much fun and not boring anymore.

HP

Molly Weasley felt extremely annoyed. Four of her sons were already attending classes, however, at the MAMA – to her great grief. _'They're my children. They were supposed to be here with me,'_ she thought. Percy, the oldest of her remaining children, who had not left her in favour of their father, was supposed to have his first day at school today, however, alone in a class with Dolores Umbridge, he had been extremely cranky, when school was out at four in the afternoon.

"I don't like the teacher," he had told her in a firm voice, causing Molly to stare at her boy with a combination of understanding and foreboding.

"You don't have to attend the class if you don't want," she had reassured him.

At dinner then, Dolores had tried to teach her youngest son, Ronald, table manners, making him, too, become very upset at the woman.

"Headmistress," Crouch spoke up, bringing her back to reality, "as the headmistress of Hogwarts, I believe that it's your job to make sure that we get more students. Teaching a class with no more than five students is ridiculous and a waste of my time."

"Ah but Barty," Albus spoke up in a soothing voice, "I believe that it was a bad timing, considering that two professors of the MAMA received the Order of Merlin first class for their efforts during this summer. I'm sure that by next year at the latest, we'll have our usual share of students back."

"Well if not," Dolores spoke up, "we're going to make Molly and Albus responsible and put them on probation. I'm sure that with me as the headmistress and Barty as my deputy, Hogwarts will recover soon."

"Nonsense," Hagrid spoke up in his booming voice, "Albus and Molly are doing a great job here. It's not their fault that the other school has the better teachers and the better reputation."

"Who cares about the opinion of a creature such as you?" Dolores replied, wearing an expression of absolute disgust. "Perhaps the problem is that we've got scum teaching here such as creatures and Squibs," she added, grimly.

_'Oh Merlin, Dolores will get Hagrid for speaking up for Albus and me,'_ Molly thought, giving Hagrid a warning look, when a fight between Ronald and three-year-old Ginny diverted her attention.

HP

_'It's a bad joke what's happening to me,' _Hogwarts thought in annoyance upon listening in to classes and staff meetings for two weeks. _'Most of these so-called professors are not even teachers but merely politicians, who were fired from the ministry and whatever. I can't wait for Lily and James or even little Harry to take over in a few years' time. On the other hand, I don't want to wait so long. I can't stand that Umbridge bitch, nor do I like Crouch, Odgen and Fletcher and I think it's time for me to take matters into my own hands.'_

She listened into her own walls, accessed the wards and changed them only just a little bit, however, enough to exclude Dolores Umbridge from them. _'That suffices for the beginning,'_ she thought, contentedly. She also made sure that no one but herself, James and Lily was able to access let alone change the wards.

HP

Every Sunday morning, the Potters made it a habit to visit Hogwarts as well as Amaterasu together with Harry, Neville, Dorea and Inu.

To everyone's surprise, they had found out that Dorea was a Parselmouth, and the two-year-old loved the basilisk dearly. Before Harry and Neville could even think about feeling left out, Dorea, Lily and Inu began to translate for them, just like Harry usually did for them with Inu's and Fawkes' babbling.

_'We should go and buy a familiar for Neville,'_ Lily decided, resolving to speak with James about the matter as soon as possible.

HP

Before taking the Floo to the founders' quarters, James usually checked the Marauders' Map to see if everything was all right for them to floo over.

It was on the last Sunday in October that he stopped dead in his tracks. They were already on their way to the fireplace in his office, when he checked the map, and something caught his eye.

"Barty Crouch is on the map twice, once in the Great Hall and once in his private quarters," he informed Lily, who gave him a surprised look, before she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Maybe the map is faulty if it shows the same person twice," she said, when his words efficiently penetrated her mind. "His private quarters?" she asked, incredulously. "How in the world did you manage to have a teacher's private rooms on the map?"

James grinned. "Do you remember Mrs. Malcan, the bitch?" he enquired, causing Lily to groan.

"Of course I remember her. She was our DADA teacher in sixth year," she replied, very well remembering the most annoying professor of all her Hogwarts years.

"Anyway, Wormtail entered her quarters and measured everything during a staff meeting," James explained. "The Defence Against the Dark Arts professor's quarters are the only private quarters we have though. Peter didn't dare entering Minerva's quarters. Still strange that Crouch shows up twice," he added, looking back at the map, where one of the Barty Crouch symbols was now moving in the direction of his office. Still, the other symbol remained in his private rooms.

"Why don't you go and ask Hogwarts if there are two Barty Crouch persons in the castle?" Lily suggested, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Can we go now?..."

"… Amaterasu is waiting for us," the twins shouted, impatiently hovering in front of the fireplace.

HP

"Yes, we really should do that," James agreed immediately, when Lily brought up the idea of buying a familiar for Neville. "When did you want to go, and do you have an animal in mind?"

Lily smiled. _'Typically James,'_ she thought. _'He's always ready to do anything for me or the kids.'_ Aloud she said, "I'd prefer to go as soon as possible, before your baby is going so big that it'll be too annoying to move."

They decided to head to the magical menagerie on Saturday morning and take the children with them, so that Neville could choose a familiar for himself.

When the day arrived, they had to take Hermione with them as well, as she was staying with Harry, Neville and Dorea for two weeks, while her parents attended a dentist congress in Australia. Therefore, Lily felt relieved, when Sirius and Remus announced that they would accompany the family.

Needless to say that Inu came along as well, considering that the only time he ever left Harry's side was when the boy was flying either on a broomstick or on one of the winged horses. Over the time, Inu had become proficient at travelling with Fawkes though.

As soon as they arrived in front of the Magical Menagerie, they spotted a toad sitting next to the entrance door. It did not look like anything special, however, every now and then, it was spitting out a small chocolate frog.

"This is Wonka," the shopkeeper, who had stepped outside to greet the group of four adults, four children and a dog, informed them.

"I like him," Neville blurted out, as he eagerly accepted a frog, which Wonka spat into his hands.

"Are they good?" Hermione asked, sceptically, eyeing the toad in apparent disgust, a feeling which Lily could not help sharing.

"They taste like normal chocolate frogs," the shop owner informed her, handing out chocolate frogs to Hermione, Harry and Dorea.

"Mum, Dad, can I have him?" Neville asked, looking at Harry, who nodded his approval.

"He needs a special potion once a week, and he must be fed a small cup of cocoa every day," they were told.

"My mummy is a potions mistress, and Dobby will make him cocoa," Neville replied with apparent pride, causing the adults to smile at the four-year-old's enthusiasm.

"Let's still go and see the inside," Remus announced, once James and Neville had gone with the shop owner to buy Wonka. "Perhaps we find some interesting animals, which we could buy for the school."

When Lily followed the others inside, she stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing that Inu was engrossed in an eager conversation with a tiny, colourful snake.

=Harry, tell Mummy that she must buy her and become her familiar,= Inu informed his familiar in apparent excitement, and Harry immediately translated. =She's an Aesculapian Serpent.=

Lily let out a gasp. "Thank you Inu," she told the canine before turning to the snake. "Would you like to come with me? I am a potions mistress and would be extremely happy to have you."

A moment later, an already known feeling of happiness penetrated her mind, and she knew that the serpent had bonded with her, even before the snake spoke up.

"I've taken the liberty of bonding with you. I hope you don't mind. I am Iro, an Aesculapian Serpent, and I was waiting for a potions mistress to come and become my familiar all these years. No one here was able to understand me, before your dog entered the shop a few minutes ago."

"Thank you, Iro," Lily replied, thinking in amusement, _'Now, I have two snake familiars, one basilisk and one Aesculapian Serpent. Good to know that I'm the heiress of Slytherin; otherwise, I'd doubt my own mental capabilities.'_

She was brought back to reality by the children's excited shouting, when her sons backed up Hermione who was trying to convince Remus to buy a large bird with a curved, black beak, black feet and very fluffy looking, brown feathers for the school. _'If he didn't have feathers but fur instead, he'd look like a teddy bear,'_ Lily thought in surprise.

"He is a magical eagle, even if he doesn't really look like an eagle," the shop owner explained. "He can turn himself invisible, he can carry a person on his back and even flash people to places like a phoenix," he added, motioning Hermione to sit on the bird's back. Seeing that the eagle invitingly flew to the floor and sat there for her to board his back, Hermione complied, and the eagle flew a few rounds around the shop, much to the girl's pleasure.

When Hermione promised to help Remus care for the eagle, the adults agreed to buy the bird, and Remus discussed with the shop owner that it would be adequate for the bird to have his nest on the side of the stable with the winged horses and unicorns.

_'Rubbish,'_ Lily thought. _'It's obvious that he's going to be Hermione's familiar in the very near future, and while she's at the school, he's probably going to stay with her. Oh well, as long as she's a primary school pupil, she won't stay overnight,' _she then reminded herself, instinctively knowing that the girl would be a guest in their private quarters more frequently in the future. To her surprise, she realised that she did not mind at all. Five-year-old Hermione was always polite and helpful, and just like Christa, her sons' other best friend, the girl had become very dear to her.

HP

Lily had been distracted enough by all the new animals to not miss James and Sirius. Only when the two Marauders showed up with James carrying a small animal on his arm, did she realise that she had not seen them ever since they had entered the Magical Menagerie.

"What's that?" she asked, eyeing the small, light brown animal with curiosity.

"That's a niffler," Sirius informed her.

"A baby niffler in fact," James clarified, "and we've bought it for the school."

"Moony needs some more animals of all possible kinds, so that his job won't become boring too soon," Sirius added, causing Remus to glare at his friends in apparent annoyance.

"Do you have any idea how to care for a niffler?" he enquired.

"Of course," Sirius replied, grinning. "We've got all the instructions in a memory, which we're going to show you later on."

_'Oh Merlin,'_ Lily thought with a combination of annoyance and amusement, _'Marauders.'_

"Mum, can you ask Glenda to bring our class to Remus next week…"

"… to look at all the new animals?" the twins enquired, bringing her back to reality.

"Why don't you ask her yourself at dinner time?" Lily replied, smiling at the excited boys.

"I want go, too," Dorea emphasized, glaring at her brothers.

"I'm going to take you on a special tour, little one," Remus promised, before he proceeded to tickle the little girl, who was his goddaughter, causing her to laugh, happily.

HP

A few hours later, Miranda Miller, Amelia's secretary, announced that Dolores Umbridge requested to speak with her.

"What does she want?" Amelia enquired in disbelief.

"Frankly speaking, I don't know," Miranda admitted. "She's complaining about not being able to get into Hogwarts in spite of being the headmistress of the primary school or something."

Supressing a groan, Amelia rolled her eyes in annoyance before uttering, "Let her in and remind me of my appointment with Alastor Moody in ten minutes if she's not out by then."

Miranda grinned and said, "Understood, Boss."

A moment later, Dolores bustled into the room. "Amelia, you must help me," she blurted out, letting out a deep sigh.

"If I can," Amelia replied, trying to keep her voice just a little warmer than the ice-cold tone the bitch deserved. "What happened?" she added, inwardly groaning.

"Today, I left Hogwarts for the first time in two months to chaperone the students' Hogsmeade visit," Dolores informed her, "but when we returned to the school, I couldn't get onto the grounds. "I even tried to travel through the fireplace from the Three Broomsticks, but apparently, the wards won't let me through. That's according to Madam Rosmerta, who floo-called Albus Dumbledore to enquire on my behalf."

"I'm afraid that I can't help you," Amelia replied in bewilderment. "What do I have to do with the Hogwarts wards?"

"You're the Minister of Magic. You can demand that they allow me into the wards. I am the headmistress of the primary school after all," Dolores requested.

Amelia shook her head, just when Miranda struck her head into the doorframe. "Minister, your appointment with the head of the DMLE is due in two minutes."

"Thank you, Miranda," Amelia replied, feeling very grateful towards her understanding assistant, and rose from her chair. "I'm sorry, Dolores," she lied as well as possible, as she motioned the woman towards the door, unaware that the witch unobtrusively plucked a black hair from the visitor's chair before leaving.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "The Umbridge plot"._


	14. The Umbridge plot

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

Dolores made herself comfortable in her favourite armchair in her own house, pondering her situation. Although still officially being the headmistress of the primary school at Hogwarts, she could not get into the school anymore. Unfortunately, she did not even own a house-elf, whom she could send into the school to fetch her private belongings – which could mean trouble, considering that she had kept two blood quills in a drawer of her desk. She could not hope to get a job at the ministry anymore, considering that Amelia, the bitch who had seen fit to dismiss her, was the minister of magic now. '_Oh well, maybe in some years' time,'_ she consoled herself.

However, she was in the possession of one black hair from an unknown person. Sadly, it definitely was not Amelia's, as she had blonde hair. Hopefully, it was the hair of an Auror or an otherwise higher ministry employee, considering that Amelia probably would not receive criminals in her office.

She decided to head to the apothecary at Diagon Alley to purchase a dose of Polyjuice potion right away, before it became a known fact that she was not a member of the Hogwarts staff anymore.

An hour later, she was back in her comfort zone, carrying a small phial, which she placed into the bathroom together with the valuable piece of hair, which she decided to store in an empty glass until she would need it.

Finally, she returned to her comfortable chair, feeling delighted at the prospect of causing mayhem in the magical world that had done her so great injustice.

HP

On Sunday, Hermione, Harry and Draco helped Remus to get the eagle and the niffler settled into the horse stable, while Susan and Neville cared for Wonka, the chocolate frog spitting toad, in one of the greenhouses after efficiently convincing Pomona Sprout that it would be an adequate companion for plants in the greenhouse, which even gave out rewards for a class well behaved.

Pomona, who somehow had a soft spot for Neville, who was extremely interested in plants and often helped her in the greenhouses, had been unable to deny the child his wish. When Minerva came to see how the new animals were settling in, Wonka had his own area in a corner of the greenhouse, in which the Herbology classes took place. The toad seemed at least to be happy enough to spit out a chocolate frog for her.

_'As disgusting as that toad is, the chocolate frog tastes well,'_ she thought in surprise, inwardly groaning in disgust, when Dobby tried to feed the toad a small cup of cocoa making a huge mess. '_Oh well, as long as Pomona doesn't mind, I don't really care,'_ she thought, inwardly shuddering at the mess.

HP

After pondering what to do and carefully developing a plot, Dolores Umbridge got ready to strike in the morning of Christmas Eve. Fortunately, while being a ministry employee, she had equipped herself with several useful items, such as a permanent Portkey to Azkaban, which of course originally belonged to the Aurors of the team that was taking guard of the wizarding prison, some empty parchments with the stamp of the Auror division, others with the signature of Alastor Moody, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Even an introduction into Azkaban for newbies in the team as well as a guide through the wards was in her possession.

She put all the corks from the wine bottles, which she had consumed during the last six weeks at her home, into an inside robe pocket after properly preparing them. Once more checking the parchment that allowed her to visit certain prisoners at Azkaban on December 24, 1984, she readied herself to take the Portkey. For the umpteenth time making sure that her plan was fool proof, she added the piece of hair to the potion that had been waiting in her bathroom for what seemed to be a long time.

_'I just hope it's an Auror; otherwise, I might have to give up my plan and head to the ministry to get some more hair first,'_ she thought, before she gulped down the disgusting concoction in one large gulp.

A moment later, she stared into the large mirror, barely able to believe her luck. She looked like the spitting image of Auror Shacklebolt.

Activating the Portkey, she travelled to the office of the Aurors on guard, where, as could be expected on Christmas Eve, a sole Auror was doing his shift.

Quickly greeting him, she handed over the parchment, and to her relief, the Auror seemed to suspect nothing but called the Dementors back and allowed her into the high security prison.

Dolores AKA Shacklebolt quickly walked through the prison, knowing that she had to be out of Azkaban, before the hour was over and the potion was going to wear off, and distributed the corks – throwing one into each cell. It was not an easy task, as she could not have the Auror in his office notice what she was doing.

"Take it into your hand," she whispered to the prisoners, exchanging one or the other word with some of them.

When all corks were delivered, she returned to the office, profusely thanked the Auror and, before he could suspect anything, which he did not, _'probably because he's thinking about his Christmas party tonight with his wife and kids,'_ she thought in disgust, stunned him. She carefully lowered the wards around the prison, before she cast a Sonorus charm at herself and shouted the password to activate the more than forty Portkeys, which she had distributed earlier.

_'Thank Merlin I was fast enough,'_ she thought, when she arrived back in her own living room, not a second too early, because the transformation into her own stature set in, as the Polyjuice wore off.

"Here, you're safe," she ensured the former prisoners. "No one at the ministry knows about this house of mine. My former colleagues only know my apartment in London."

HP

While at the MAMA, most of her extended family including the kids were decorating the large Christmas tree in the atrium, which promised to be much fun, Amelia was attending her last meeting at the ministry, before she was going to be on maternity leave for some time. Of course, she would remain the minister of magic; however, she had been told to only come to the ministry if it was inevitable. Otherwise, she would work from home for the time being, and she could not wait spending more time with Sirius and their extended family. Trying to not think about the baby that was supposed to be born in a few weeks' time, she concentrated on the meeting at hand.

It was with Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was her successor as the deputy head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and her two colleagues wanted to discuss the training and finances of the new Aurors with her. She was not even a member of their department, while being the minister of magic, but the two had asked her, as they valued her opinion, knowing how well she knew their department.

The meeting took more than three hours, and Amelia inwardly groaned, when Alastor and Kingsley simultaneously checked their watches.

"The wards at Azkaban are coming down," Alastor growled and quickly sent a Patronus to Rufus Scrimgeour to take a team and head to the prison to enquire what was the matter.

Ten minutes later, he received a Patronus from his trusted Auror, stating that Shacklebolt had attacked the Auror on duty and freed all prisoners.

"Rubbish," Alastor growled. "Kingsley, don't worry. Amelia and I know that you've been with us for hours now."

"Thanks Boss," Kingsley replied, seemingly as shaken as herself, not only by the accusation but also at the idea of all Death Eaters being free again.

Together, the three of them headed over to the department, abandoning their meeting for more urgent matters.

HP

On Christmas morning, the special Christmas edition of the Daily Prophet did not carry the overall expected headline '_Merry Christmas'_. Instead, it shouted in red letters, '_Mass outbreak at Azkaban – all convicted Death Eaters gone!'_

The news that an unknown person had impersonated an Auror and freed all Death Eaters from Azkaban also overshadowed Christmas at the MAMA. Nevertheless, the adults tried their best to hide their concerns from the children of the family as well as the few students, who had remained at the school over the holidays.

"The immediate problem is that the Death Eaters could corrupt their children, who are attending our school," Sirius spoke up, once the children were engrossed in opening their presents with Bill's and Charlie's help.

"We'll just have Inu check all students, when they come back," James replied, grimly.

"And what?" Remus spoke up. "If the children are corrupted, you'll send them back to their Death Eater parents?"

"No, but we need to take special care and speak with them about it and tell them that their parents are wrong," Lily replied, letting out a deep sigh.

"Much more dangerous are the daytime students, who are under the influence of their Death Eater father or mother every evening," Minerva added. "Please help us strengthen the wards first thing tomorrow morning, so that no one who is wearing the Dark Mark will be able to enter the school."

"Minerva?" Lily gasped, pointedly looking at Severus. "We should rather build up on Inu than on the Dark Mark. The wards should repel anyone, whom Inu would not approve." From the way the canine waggled his tail, she could see that he appreciated her suggestion and was ready to take responsibility.

HP

It took them hours to strengthen the wards, and the extended family was contented with the result, even if they did not have any method to test the wards. However, Inu assured them through Harry that they were safe now, and Lily trusted her canine baby with her life, knowing that he had saved her life at least once before.

To everyone's relief, Inu appreciated all students, who arrived back from their homes at the beginning of the New Year, and neither did the wards prevent any students from entering the school.

"I wonder where the Death Eaters are anyway," Amelia spoke up one day. "Moody, Shacklebolt and Scrimgeour have searched Malfoy manor and Lestrange manor; however, both were deserted, and there was no trace from any recent access."

"Do they have an idea who impersonated Kingsley at all?" James enquired.

Amelia shook her head. "No, not at all. I have an assumption, but it's merely a speculation from my side." Noticing that James and Sirius cast her curious looks, she admitted, "Dolores Umbridge. She came into my office complaining that the wards around Hogwarts wouldn't let her in anymore about two months ago. Ever after that, I didn't see or hear anything from her anymore. Oh well, that means nothing, I know, but still, I have a bad feeling thinking of the bitch." She remained pensive for a moment, before deciding that she could trust her husband and his best friend, who had even been her fellow Aurors until three years ago. "They found two blood quills in her office at Hogwarts."

On the common gasp from the two wizards, she continued, "Albus Dumbledore brought them to me sometime in December, and he also confirmed that he hasn't seen her for some weeks."

"Awful bitch," Sirius commented, grimly.

"Absolutely," James agreed, full heartedly. "That means that she's going to get a one-way ticket to Azkaban?" he added, wearing a hopeful expression.

"Yes, as soon as she's caught and had a trial," Amelia replied, smiling.

HP

On January 30, Regulus Edgar Black was born, only six hours separating him from Charlus John Potter, who was born on the following day. While Regulus was the spitting image of Sirius, Charlus looked like Harry with Lily's distinctive green eyes.

Just like when Dorea had been born two and a half years ago, Harry and Neville commented, "They are too tiny…"

"…There's no way we can play with them."

"… and Charlus and Regulus is stupid…"

"… can we name them Charly and Regi?"

"They're cute," Dorea contradicted and spent much time with the babies telling them stories, when they were awake. She was eagerly learning to read letters under Hermione's tutelage, whenever the five-year-old had time to teach her; however, she still could not read enough to read stories to the new-born twins – much to her chagrin.

Inu spent his days taking care of the babies, just like he had done when Dorea was born. He growled at anyone not belonging to his extended family, ready to strike at a second's motion.

HP

On the following Sunday morning, Lily, Harry, Neville, Dorea and Inu went to Hogwarts to visit Amaterasu, while James remained with Charlus. Before they left, James looked at the Marauders' map as usual; however, noticed in surprise that the one of the two Barty Crouchs, who had constantly remained in Crouch's personal quarters, was gone.

"Oh no, we should have asked Hogwarts about him a long time ago," he groaned, and Lily promised to head to the founders' quarters and ask the castle about Crouch.

When she told Hogwarts the story about the two Barty Crouchs, the castle remained pensive for a moment, before she replied.

"Barty Crouch, who is the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor this year, kept someone prisoner in his private rooms," she said, only to add, "I think that his house-elf looked after the person, but a few days ago, the person managed to overcome the elf. I don't know how and why, but he stepped into the fireplace and left. Professor Crouch then gave his house-elf clothes, and she's now being looked after by the Hogwarts elves. I'm sorry, dear, but that's all I know," she added in a soft voice.

"Thank you, Hogwarts," Lily replied, smiling. '_How strange that the prisoner's name was Barty Crouch as well, and why in the world would Crouch have a prisoner at all?'_ she wondered and quickly took the children home, so that she could talk about the matter with James, Sirius and Amelia.

HP

"They only other Barty Crouch I knew was his son, Barty Crouch Junior," Sirius replied, pensively. "But as far as I know, he died at Azkaban."

"We should tell Moody about it in any case, considering that Crouch Senior kept someone prisoner at Hogwarts," Amelia said, grimly. "As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he's the only one who can simply question Crouch under Veritaserum."

"I'll call him over," James promised and headed into his and Minerva's office, from where he floo-called his former boss and asked him to step over into the MAMA.

HP

The old Auror listened to what James had to tell and promised, "I'll go to Hogwarts and question the old fool under Veritaserum. Don't tell me that after putting his own son into Azkaban, he somehow rescued him and kept him prisoner."

"We'll send Godric Gryffindor over to the headmistress' office and watch," James replied. "Thanks Moody."

"As if we didn't have enough problems with all the Death Eaters escaped," Moody replied, gruffly; however, James knew his former boss well enough to not mind the tone.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but we thought we'd let you know," he replied, sighing.

"Well done. Thanks for the information," Moody said, before he took his leave.

HP

A few hours later, Godric showed the extended family the memory from the portrait in the staff room.

Moody stepped out of the fireplace in the headmistress' office at Hogwarts, closely followed by his deputy, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Molly Weasley greeted them in apparent surprise.

"Aurors Moody and Shacklebolt," she said. "What brings you to Hogwarts today?"

"We urgently need to speak with Barty Crouch," Moody informed her and Dumbledore, who was sitting in front of the headmistress' desk.

"And why might that be?" Dumbledore enquired.

"You may stay and listen; however, if you don't allow us to question Crouch during the next ten minutes, you'll receive a one-way ticket to Azkaban," Moody growled, impatiently.

Dumbledore sent out a phoenix Patronus, and a short while later, Barty Crouch appeared in the office and greeted them in apparent surprise.

"Kingsley, Veritaserum," Moody ordered his deputy, causing Crouch to heavily protest.

"Why in the world would you want to question me? Are you out of your minds?" Crouch growled.

"Because I can," Moody replied and, as soon as Shacklebolt had administered three drops of Veritaserum onto Crouch's tongue, began to question him.

"What is your name?"

"Barty Crouch."

"Whom did you keep prisoner in your private rooms at Hogwarts until a few days ago?"

Ignoring the collective gasps coming from Dumbledore and Weasley, Crouch replied, automatically, "My son."

"Did he not die in Azkaban two years ago?"

"No, my wife died, and I brought him home in her stead. It was her last wish, and I was unable to refuse her."

"How did you keep your son prisoner?"

"My house-elf, Winky, took care of him," Crouch admitted. "Apparently, she forgot to put him under a spell last Tuesday, and he escaped."

"Do you know where the escaped Death Eaters are hiding?" Moody asked.

"No, but my son is probably going to look for them. Perhaps Winky will still work for him, as I gave her clothes."

"Fine," Moody finally said and motioned his colleague to administer the antidote. "You're going to have a trial in a few days' time, and I believe that I don't have to tell you that the punishment for hiding a convicted murderer is a one-way ticket to Azkaban."

With that, Shacklebolt took Crouch away with a Portkey, and the memory ended.

HP

"Ah, serves him right. I could never stand him," Sirius was the first to comment, and James nodded his agreement.

"I'm not sure," Amelia spoke up, pensively, while feeding Regulus. "He's not evil. He did something bad, but he did it out of the love to his late wife. I know that he loved her very much and would have done everything for her. I don't think that he deserves to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, and I'll tell Moody as much."

"Amelia," James said in a firm voice, "now that you're a mother, you're going soft. Of course, he must be put into Azkaban at least for a few years."

"He's right, Meli," Sirius confirmed, grimly.

HP

At the same time as the meeting took place, an owl travelled from Malfoy Manor to Dolores Umbridge's house in a small village near Hastings.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Muggle families"._


	15. Muggle families

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

Lucius Malfoy slowly felt recovered enough from the three-year-long ordeal at the wizarding prison to leave the hideous house that was equipped with pink furniture and with plates of cat faces all over the walls. He did not even have his own room in the house, which was only the size of perhaps a tenth of Malfoy Manor.

However, he was uncertain what to do. On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than to take a handful of his best friends and – of course – servants, such as Crabbe and Goyle, with him and return to Malfoy Manor. On the other hand, however, he was uncertain if his wife would still be supporting him now that he was a convicted prisoner on the loose. _'Draco is already four, and I need to teach him his place in society,'_ he thought and decided that it was time to make a move, when a raven approached him. He recognised him as Barnabas, the family raven.

He quickly unfolded the parchment in excitement that quickly turned into disappointment upon seeing that it was not from his wife. Sighing, he read the short notice.

_'Lord Malfoy,  
where are you and the others? I heard of your lucky escape and made my way to the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, where I am waiting for you. Nobody seems to be living in the house at this time, and I hope you will return here soon. I shall be waiting for you.  
Best regards,  
your fellow Death Eater  
Barty Crouch Junior'_

"Crabbe, Goyle," he whispered to his closest allies, "let's leave."

To his relief, the hideous house was at least equipped with a fireplace, and he swiftly stepped in and travelled to his home, closely followed by the two monkeys, as he thought of Crabbe and Goyle. _'Once I've got used to being at home again, I'm going to invite Nott and the others,'_ he resolved.

HP

The first Dragonsedge day took place two days after Valentine's Day, and almost every teacher of the MAMA accompanied the group to the small town. However, just like during the previous weeks ever since the Azkaban escape, everything remained quiet.

"It's almost as if they fell off the face of the earth," James said to Lily, when they retired to the master bedroom late the same evening. "Perhaps they're still recovering from the influence of the Dementors though."

"Thank Merlin," Lily replied, giving her husband a sad smile. "I just hope that we'll be able to keep our children safe," she added, sighing.

"Have faith," James replied, honestly. "We have brilliant wards, made by the goblins, have taken all precautions, and above all, we have Inu, the mutt who lived. I'm sure the Death Eaters fear him. Merlin, even Dumbledore was afraid of him – according to Godric."

"That's true," Lily replied, already feeling very much consoled.

HP

Unfortunately, six months after their escape from Azkaban, the Death Eaters slowly began to attack the families of muggleborn children, causing everyone to wonder how they had received information, which was supposed to be safe in the book of magical children at Hogwarts – as well as in the illegal copy, which they kept at the MAMA. However, only the teachers knew about the copy, and Lily was confident that none of them was a traitor.

"Surely Umbridge," Amelia growled. "She probably made a copy of the book at Hogwarts as well and is leaking the information to the Death Eaters."

Even without any proof, Lily was certain that Amelia was right. Her only consolation was that Umbridge would receive a one-way ticket to Azkaban once she was captured.

'_I only hope that it'll be soon,'_ she thought, while she absentmindedly taught Hermione and Christa how to change Charlus' nappy.

"Aunt Lily, are you all right?" Hermione enquired, giving her a concerned look that brought her back to reality.

"Of course, sorry dears," she replied, smiling at the five-year-olds.

Later the same evening, she spoke with James about her concerns.

"You're right," her husband said in understanding. "Let's ask Amelia for a Wizengamot meeting to determine that all already convicted Death Eaters, who will hopefully be captured son, will be put through the veil instead of having them sent back to Azkaban. They don't need another trial either. I'll also speak with Moody and ask him what precautions the Aurors have taken so far. I can't believe that they haven't captured as much as one single Death Eater so far."

HP

Efficient as Amelia was, the Wizengamot meeting took place a few days later, and the majority of the attendees voted in favour of James' suggestion. It was also decided that the Aurors should place wards on the fireplaces of convicted Death Eaters' homes, so that the Aurors would be alerted if a fireplace was used. Unfortunately, this would only be easy with homes, where no other family was residing, such as Malfoy Manor or Lestrange Manor.

To everyone's relief, they caught two Death Eaters, Crabbe and Goyle, within a month, when they travelled through the Floo from an unclosed location to Malfoy Manor.

The two Death Eaters were immediately taken to the ministry, where Moody questioned them under Veritaserum. Unfortunately, however, the two men, who according to Moody were absolute idiots, were unable to tell them much. According to them, Umbridge had freed them from the prison and taken them to her home. By now, there were around twenty Death Eaters staying at Malfoy Manor and another twenty at the Umbridge house. The Aurors, however, were unable to find any Death Eater at Malfoy Manor, nor could they locate the Umbridge house, which, according to Crabbe and Goyle, was situated in a small village near Hastings.

"They're probably hiding in the dungeons of the manor," Narcissa told her colleagues, but if Lucius doesn't want to be found, they won't be able to find the entrance."

"Would you be able to guide the Aurors?" Sirius enquired, giving his cousin a sharp look.

"I don't think so," Narcissa replied, thoughtfully. "I can try, but I don't think that I'll be able to find the dungeons, especially as I don't even belong to the family anymore," she added, sighing, "and Draco is too small. He hasn't even seen the dungeons before coming here."

HP

First thing the following morning, Narcissa led Aurors Moody, Shacklebolt and Scrimgeour to Malfoy Manor, glad when Dobby agreed to accompany her. Together with the three Aurors and Dobby, she searched her former residence; however, nothing seemed to be out of the normal, and – just as she had expected – they neither met any Death Eaters nor did they find the entrance to the dungeons.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the Aurors. "If Arcturus hadn't annulled our wedding and brought me back into the Black family, perhaps Lucius would have trusted me enough for me to spy on them. Unfortunately, I'm not able to help you capture the Death Eaters."

"That's all right," Moody said in a for the old Auror relatively gentle voice. "It's good that you separated from him in any case. He's not a good man. With Severus, you're much better off."

Narcissa cast the old Auror an incredulous look, unable to prevent herself from blushing. _'I didn't think that our relationship was so well known in the ministry,'_ she thought in surprise.

HP

The Aurors kept Crabbe and Goyle in a ministry cell for a week, so that they would be able to further question them if the need arose. Then however, the two Death Eaters were pushed through the veil without another trial or further questioning, as decided in the Wizengamot meeting. Lily observed five-year-old Vincent and Gregory, who were now in the Lynx class together with her trio, in concern; however, neither of the boys showed any reaction during the following days, so that she assumed that they were not aware that their fathers had fled Azkaban and had been re-captured and killed. _'It's still strange that Crabbe and Goyle Senior never returned home to meet their wives and children,'_ she thought in disbelief.

_'Oh well, the children are only five just like ours,'_ she thought, sighing, feeling very happy for her own children to have siblings, parents as well as uncles and aunts, many friends and even their own familiars. '_Thank Merlin they're really lucky,_' she thought in relief.

HP

Unfortunately, not all children were going to remain equally happy. It was shortly after Hermione' sixth birthday in September that the Grangers were attacked by Death Eaters. They survived, however, were badly injured.

To Lily's great relief, she and Poppy had decided to keep Hermione at the MAMA the previous day, when the girl came down with the wizard's flu, instead of sending her home and possibly endangering her parents with a magical illness.

'_Thank Merlin we kept Hermione here last night,_' Lily blurted out, when Moody came to tell Minerva and her the news.

"It probably saved the girl's life," Moody agreed. "They burnt down the whole place by fiendfyre, and only because we had an Auror watch the place allowed him to rescue them on time."

During the remainder of the day, while Hermione was still recovering in the hospital room, the extended family pondered what to do. Hermione was not the first pupil, whose parents had been injured during the last few months; however, the other students so far had been taken in by either magical or muggle relatives until their parents' recovery. Lily knew, however, that Hermione greatly disliked her aunt, uncle and cousin, who in turn seemed to despise her because of being magical.

"We'll ask Hermione what she wants, however, if she doesn't want to be taken in by her relatives, we're going to just keep her here until her parents will be out of the hospital," Lily informed the extended family, however, decided to only speak with Hermione after her recovery.

"Minerva," she turned to the headmistress, "will you please accompany me to speak with Regina Lestrange and her husband tonight? I want to suggest for them to come and live here with us, at least until her brothers and sister-in-law have been captured. I believe that they're not safe."

"A good idea, and of course I'll accompany you," Minerva promised, warmly.

HP

While Regina was a professor of Biology at a muggle university, her husband was a computer specialist at the same institution.

"I've no idea what they could do at the MAMA, but let's suggest it to them anyway," Minerva said, when they travelled see Christa's parents, glad that the girl was at the school playing with the trio, Susan and Draco.

"Professors McGonagall and Potter," Regina greeted them in apparent shock. "Did something happen to Christa?"

"No," Minerva replied in a soothing voice. "Everything is all right. However, we'd like to speak with you about something."

Only when they were seated in the living room, Lily explained how Death Eaters were attacking the families of muggleborn students.

"I suppose that you heard that all Death Eaters broke out of Azkaban?" she enquired, giving the couple a sharp look.

Regina smiled in spite of the dire situation. "I've been reading the Daily Prophet ever since I realised that Christa was magical," she admitted. "Yes, I know about it, and I also know about the attacks."

"We believe that you might not be safe here," Lily said, bluntly, "and we'd like to suggest for the two of you to join Christa at our school. You could travel to and from the university by Portkey, so that wouldn't be a problem."

"Do you have so much space that you can take in all the parents of muggleborn students and Squibs?" Brian asked in apparent surprise.

"Unfortunately not," Minerva replied, sighing. "However, due to Regina being a Squib and the sister and sister-in-law of three of the most violent Death Eaters, we believe that you're in extreme danger, perhaps more than any other parents."

"I think you're right," Regina surprisingly quickly agreed, "and I'd feel safer if we could stay at your school until my brothers have been caught. If no one will mind us being there in spite of being a muggle and a Squib."

After a short discussion of convincing Christa's parents that it would be fully all right, Lily called Gina and Dobby and asked them to pack the family's belongings and put everything into an empty flight of rooms in the South wing, where all the private quarters were located.

As shocked as the children were to hear about the attack on the Grangers, they were extremely happy to have Hermione and Christa as more or less permanent resident at the MAMA.

"Don't be sad, Mione…"

"… We love to have you here," the twins told Hermione.

Three-year-old Dorea was excited to have her adored big sister staying with them for a longer time and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

HP

To everyone's shock, the house, in which the Lestrange-Blair family had lived until then, was destroyed by fiendfyre just a month later, and everyone felt extremely relieved that Christa and her parents had been safe at the school.

Unbeknownst to the residents of the MAMA, Aurors had taken shifts to observe the house, just like with the Granger residence, and – even if they could not prevent them from casting the horrible spell – they managed to capture Rabastan Lestrange and kill Rodolphus Lestrange. Only Bellatrix succeeded in apparating away, before the Aurors could stun or kill her.

"That was stupid. You should have set up Anti-Apparition wards," Moody scolded the Aurors on duty, before he commended them for getting the Lestrange brothers.

HP

"Thank Merlin my brothers are gone," Regina sobbed upon hearing the story from Amelia. "They were so evil."

"Nevertheless, they were your brothers," Amelia replied in a soothing voice. "Do you want me to send some Aurors to Lestrange Manor and clear it out for you, so that you'll eventually be able to live there again?"

"Is that even possible?" Regina asked, wide-eyed.

"Of course," Amelia replied, gently. "It's yours now. You're the heir of the family, even as a Squib, and your daughter is even a witch and will be able to take the Lestrange seat on the Wizengamot once she is of age."

HP

Hermione spent much time caring for Eagle. The Potters had become her guardians for the magical world, when her parents were taken into a muggle hospital, and apparently, their recovery would take months. Twice or even three times a week, Lily or Minerva took her to visit her parents. Hermione was eternally grateful that she did not have to live with her horrible aunt and uncle and her even worse cousin Melody but was allowed to remain at the MAMA and live in the Potters' quarters. Even if she missed her parents, she had always liked Lily and James, and Harry, Neville, Susan, Christa and Draco were her best friends. Even Inu was extremely friendly to her, and Dorea and Charlus felt like younger siblings to her. However, somehow, she had special feelings towards Eagle, and she often visited him and sat on the ground of the stable just chatting with the bird. She told him everything about her parents, her new family and that she loved to learn new things. The only sad thing in their relationship was that she could not understand the bird's trills.

One day, however, the situation changed. She suddenly felt incredibly happy, and when she was still wondering what had happened, Eagle spoke to her.

#I've just bonded with you, so you can understand my babbling,# he told her, causing Hermione to pull the bird into a bear's hug.

"Thank you, Eagle," she said, tears of happiness leaking from her eyes. "You made me very happy."

That evening, the bird followed her into her room – just like Lily had predicted a year ago – and Dobby saw to it that the house-elves placed a perch for Eagle as well as enough treats and water for the large bird into the girl's room.

HP

Regina and Brian often spent the evenings together with the extended family, and they seemed to quickly become used to living in the magical world without problems. One day, Regina spoke up in a soft voice.

"I have an idea, but I don't know if it's possible. Please hear me out."

"Of course," Lily was the first to reply in a soft voice, giving the Squib, who was of her own age and had become a good friend to her, an encouraging nod.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Apparently, you did not like the slightly darker chapter. I hope this one was better, and we will soon return to brighter scenes. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "The Lestranges"._


	16. The Lestranges

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"Could we go and pay Lestrange Manor a visit?" Regina suggested. "If it's as big as I remember from my childhood, we could well accommodate at least twenty muggle families to keep them safe until all Death Eaters will be gone. Brian and I could move there and take care of them," she added, seeming uncertain.

"This is a fantastic idea," Lily said, warmly.

"However, it's not practicable at the moment," Severus added in a soft voice. "First of all, Bellatrix is still able to enter the place, and you need to accept the ladyship over the family and dissolve her marriage to kick her out of the family to prevent her from entering the manor. Secondly, knowing the late Lestrange family, I'm sure that the manor is surrounded by muggle-repelling wards, which only the goblins can change for you."

"That's true," James agreed and suggested, "Lily or I can take you to see your account manager at Gringotts."

"James?" Lily enquired. "Could she change the Lestranges' account manager to Buckbean?" Turning to her friend Regina, she added, "We know that Buckbean is absolutely trustworthy and that he doesn't have problems with muggles at all."

James nodded. "Just speak with him, but I don't see a reason why it wouldn't be possible. We can go all together if it makes you feel safer," he added, smiling.

HP

On Saturday morning, Lily and James accompanied Regina, Brian and Christa to Gringotts and took Inu with them, knowing that he would better be able to keep them safe than any Auror.

Buckbean patiently listened to their story, before he replied, "In fact, Snaptooth is the account manager of the Lestrange family. However, as you, Mrs. Regina Lestrange, are the sole heiress of the family apart from your daughter, you may of course request a change of the account manager."

"Yes please," Regina spoke up in a firm voice. "I'd like to follow Lily's and James' advice and entrust you with our accounts."

"Very well," Buckbean agreed. He conversed with two younger goblins, who entered the room, when he pressed a button on his table, and accepted a thick folder from them, before he turned back to Regina.

"Mrs. Lestrange, are you willing to become the Lady Lestrange?" he enquired.

"Yes if that's possible even as a Squib," Regina replied, casting Lily and James a questioning look.

To Lily's relief, her expression softened some upon seeing them nod in agreement.

"Mr. Blair, would you like to become the Lord Lestrange?" Buckbean asked, causing Brian to stare at the goblin in apparent confusion.

"I'm sorry, Buckbean, but I'm a muggle," he said in a small voice.

The goblin leaned forward in his chair and enquired, "Does that matter?"

"No, it doesn't," James spoke up, "because your daughter is magical. Is that so, Buckbean?"

"Exactly," the goblin confirmed.

"Our son, who will only be born in three months' time," Regina spoke up, smiling, "is magical as well. "Poppy checked on him and found out that he has magic."

"Oh all right," Buckbean said, pensively, before he continued. "Unfortunately for the young lady here, that would make her brother the heir of the Lestrange family."

"That's fine. I'm going to be the lady of a different family in the future," Christa mumbled in a barely audible voice, causing Lily to stare at the girl in surprise.

_'Is she a Seer?'_ she wondered, while her friends swore their oaths to the Lestrange family. She herself was able to sometimes see things, and she suspected her second godchild, Luna Lovegood, to be one as well. The girl had been attending the Unicorn class since September and had uttered things that made Lily firmly believe that she could see things just like herself. _'Christa too?'_ she wondered in surprise.

"How do you know that?" she whispered to the girl, once the ceremony was finished.

"Luna told me," Christa replied, smiling. "She said she knows, and I was very happy."

Lily nodded in understanding, smiling at the cute girl.

"Lord Lestrange," Buckbean addressed Brian, and everyone automatically turned their attention to the goblin. "You're not a muggle." Ignoring the collective gasp, he continued, "Did you notice the faint silver glow coming from the ring, when you swore your oath on the family?"

"Yes," Brian confirmed, hesitantly.

"The same as from Regina's, only that hers was more golden than silver?" Buckbean enquired.

"Yes, I was wondering what that meant," Regina spoke up.

"It is simple," Buckbean said, matter-of-factly. "The more silver, the weaker the magic, the more golden, the stronger it is. You, Lord Lestrange, most likely are a Squib, but definitely not a muggle. Your wife's magic is too strong to be a Squib."

"No," Regina replied, sounding very sad. "That's not possible, sir."

Smirking, Buckbean handed her a wand. "Please try to cast the Lumos charm," he instructed her.

"Lumos," Regina said, concentrating on the tip of her wand like she could remember having done in her childhood in a faint attempt to prove to her father that she was a proper witch. However, the tip of her wand had never lit like her brothers' wands did. This time, it was different. It was not exactly bright, however, the light was there.

"I have magic?" she stammered with a combination of disbelief and hope.

"Congratulations Mum," Christa shouted and threw herself into her mother's arm. "You must be very happy."

"That I am," Regina replied, wiping a tear from her cheek, before she handed the wand back to Buckbean, who shook his head.

"I suggest that you keep it until it'll be safe for you to go and get your own wand," he told her. "This is your mother's wand, and it seems to work for you for the time being."

"Yes sir, thank you sir," Regina replied, seemingly overwhelmed by the matter.

"It might be possible that the oath you made triggered your magic," Buckbean added, pensively. "It is a known fact that family magic can be very powerful."

"This is absolutely fantastic," Regina replied, happily.

"Now, I suggest that all three of you, Lady Lestrange, Lord Lestrange and Christa, do not go out into the open without sufficient safety precautions," Buckbean warned them. "Bellatrix does not belong to your family anymore, she doesn't belong to the Black family anymore, and Arcturus certainly won't welcome her back into the family. She does not have a family name, and she'll be extremely upset about it and blame you. If anyhow possible, you must remain inside the school or inside Lestrange Manor, after my colleagues are finished with the warding. I shall let you know."

"Excuse me, Buckbean," Brian spoke up, "but we both work at the muggle university."

Buckbean shook his head. "Don't go there. Quit your jobs, your fortune is large enough to last for many decades anyway. If you wish to do research, do it at the school or at the manor, but don't go into the open."

"We will," Brian replied in a firm voice. "Thank you for the warning, Buckbean."

With that, they took their leave and swiftly returned to the MAMA.

HP

Ten days later, Buckbean sent a note that all changes in wards and safety precautions on Lestrange manor were finished and that the house was now ready for the Lestranges to move in and work on the realisation of their plan. He warned them, however, that a group of two dozen house-elves were still residing at the manor, who were extremely biased due to their bonding with the former owners of the manor.

"Buckbean suggests that we free the house-elves and look for other, young house-elves," Regina told Lily. "Sorry, but how do we do that?"

"Let's ask our elves if they can spare two dozen, and I am sure they can, as ever since we moved in here, they had one baby after the next, and by now, we have about sixty house-elves, and we can readily give you twenty," Lily replied, smirking. "Let me ask Gina, our head house-elf."

The head house-elf was all for it and put together a group of twenty elves of all ages and abilities for the Lestranges.

"Lisa here is the oldest of them and has the most experience. I suggest making her the head house-elf," she told Regina and Lily. "Lisa will be able to do the bonding for you if that's what you wish."

"Yes please," Regina replied, gratefully. "Thank you so much, Gina, Lisa and of course Lily."

HP

Shortly before Christmas, Regina, Brian and Christa moved into Lestrange Manor. At the same time, Regina, Lily and Minerva began to speak with the muggle parents of their pupils and, accepting the assistance of the Unspeakables, began to evacuate the muggle families to Lestrange Manor.

For safety reasons, Lestrange Manor was not connected to the public Floo network; the only fireplace with an outside connection was the one in Regina's and Brian's office, and even from there, it was only possible to travel to the MAMA, so that not only the three Lestranges but also the refugee pupils could travel to the school safely.

Regina and Brian had both given up working at the university. Brian spent the whole day at the manor caring for the refugees and at the same time continuing his computer research, while Regina assisted him and also spent several hours each day at the MAMA to study magic. The MAMA staff happily took turns instructing Regina in the various subject.

HP

On January 31, exactly one year after Charlus Potter, Jonathan Lestrange was born. With black hair and blue eyes, he was the spitting image of his late uncle Rodolphus; however, he was a happy baby who laughed at everyone. The brightest smiles received his sister Christa though, who was over the moon with joy over her little brother.

"The girls are no fun…"

"… They only ever care for the babies," the twins complained to Lily one day.

"Yeah. I want Mione to play with me," Dorea added, indignantly.

"That's true," Draco agreed to the siblings' tirade.

Christa, Hermione and Susan had much fun looking after Charlus and Jonathan and spent every free minute assisting Lily and Regina, who used to bring Jonathan with her to the MAMA during the day.

"I'll tell you something," James spoke up. "Let's go flying."

The twins, Draco and Dorea immediately agreed. Only Inu growled in annoyance at the idea of flying.

However, Sirius quickly transformed into his canine form and barked, =Let's go for a trip to the shore=, and Inu happily joined in.

HP

Several months passed, and nothing was heard about possible further attacks on families of muggleborns, which assured the extended family that they had evacuated everyone who needed it.

The Unspeakables, on the other hand, spent the time researching the area around Hastings, and on a stormy day in May, Arcturus led his colleagues into the Umbridge house.

The trained Unspeakables quickly overwhelmed and stunned the round twenty Death Eaters as well as Dolores Umbridge, who apparently had not expected an attack and did not even have their wands ready.

Everyone but Umbridge was given a Portkey right into the death chamber, while Umbridge was transported into a ministry holding cell, which was equipped with all safety precautions. It was even warded against Animagi, as there was a rumour that Umbridge could be a toad Animagus.

HP

Arcturus, who was a regular visitor to the MAMA due to his close friendship with Minerva, informed the extended family about the matter, before the Daily Prophet even had a chance to shout it into Britain's magical world.

"Complete rubbish if you ask me," Minerva commented on Arcturus' explanation. "Her magic is not strong enough to become an Animagus."

HP

_'Umbridge arrested – twenty Death Eaters put through the veil',_ the read headline screamed first thing the following morning.

At Lestrange manor, where many of the muggle parents if not all were following the Daily Prophet on a daily basis, the question arose if it was safe enough for the families to return to their homes.

"Please remain here at least for the day and give me some time to ask the Aurors or possibly the Unspeakables about the matter," Regina told them in a firm voice. "Considering that at least twenty more Death Eaters, among them several dangerous ones, are still on the loose, I believe that it's still not safe for you."

To everyone's disappointment, the Aurors and Unspeakables agreed with Regina's assessment, and the refugees still remained at Lestrange Manor.

"I'm sorry if we sound ungrateful," the mother of Dean Thomas, who was a pupil of the Lynx class together with Harry, Neville and Inu, addressed Regina. "We're very grateful and happy to be here. Lestrange Manor is a wonderful place, and we really feel safe here. It's just that we miss our own home."

"I can understand you all too well," Regina replied, smiling, as she tried not to think about the fact that the rooms, where the Thomas family was residing, had once been her own flight of rooms, before she had been kicked out of the family at the age of six.

HP

Finally, the day of Umbridge's trial arrived. The whole Wizengamot was gathered, when Umbridge was led into the room in chains flanked by two Aurors on each side.

Regina had taken up the Lestrange seat for the first time and was excitedly sitting between Lily and Minerva, looking at the witch in absolute disgust.

_'She was the one who freed my brothers,'_ she thought, grimly. _'It's her fault that they're both dead now, that Hermione's parents are in hospital and that our manor is full with muggle refugees.'_

Moody, as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, led the trial and requested use of Veritaserum, which the Wizengamot granted unanimously.

"Did you free the Death Eaters from Azkaban impersonating Auror Shacklebolt?" he enquired.

"Yes," came the automatic response.

"Why did you do that?"

"To give the magical world what it deserves and to have the Death Eaters kill the muggleborn and half-blood scum."

"In spite of being a half-blood yourself?" Moody asked in apparent disgust.

"Yes."

"Did you copy the book of magical children at Hogwarts and give the names and addresses of the muggleborn children to the Death Eaters?"

"Yes."

"Did you use the blood quills on your students at Hogwarts?"

"No, because I only had one student, and he was a pureblood."

The questioning went on and on, and Regina felt sicker by the minute. '_Thank Merlin,'_ she thought, when Moody finally stopped the questioning and the Wizengamot decided on the verdict.

In the end, it was decided that Umbridge was going to be taken to Azkaban, where she would receive the Dementor's kiss later the same day.

Just when the Aurors took her away, Regina saw from the corner of her eyes how Arcturus pointed a wand at her, seemingly muttering a silent incantation.

_'What was that?'_ she wondered, however, was brought back to reality upon hearing Lily's voice.

"Thank Merlin," Lily said, what everyone else thought, and – to Regina's relief – everyone agreed.

HP

_'They're going to give me the Dementor's kiss?'_ Dolores thought, feeling extremely upset. _'Maybe I'll get a chance to do something to the Aurors and get away,'_ she consoled herself, when all of a sudden, her vision failed.

She suddenly saw herself being pushed through what she assumed was the veil, only to arrive in a beautiful garden. It was full with flowerbeds with small, pink roses, and cats were running around everywhere. The sun was shining, and birds were singing. '_If that is beyond the veil, it's not so bad_,' she thought, happily, when a slowly growing noise penetrated her ears. It sounded like a roar, and she curiously looked around, only to freeze in shock upon seeing a dinosaur head in her direction. It was at least ten times as big as herself, and she felt herself being picked up by the animal's enormous mouth and swallowed as a whole. Just a moment later, the dinosaur spat her out onto the grass in clear disgust, and the scene commenced again from the beginning.

The dinosaur had just eaten and spat her out for the ninth time, when she was rudely awakened, as she fell onto the ground. She realised that the Aurors had just stepped away from her, leaving her to a Dementor. The black creature leaned down, and a moment later, she knew no more.

HP

Unfortunately, Umbridge had not been able to give the Aurors a clue as to how to find the remaining Death Eaters. It only came out – what they already knew – that they were hiding at Malfoy Manor.

To the extended family's relief, the Death Eaters remained quiet, however, and no further attacks on muggles, muggleborns and their families took place.

The only attempted attack occurred around Lestrange Manor, where all the surrounding fields were burnt due to an attack with fiendfyre. Thankfully, the wards around the manor blocked the flames, and when Moody checked out the scene, he found a sole burnt figure in the fields, the Dark Mark still faintly visible on the person's arm.

"Bellatrix Noname," he growled in recognition.

HP

On the day school began again and the six-year-old trio and their friends had their first day in the Griffin class with Linda O'Brien, Inu suddenly growled at Theodore Nott, causing the teacher to observe the boy, alert.

'Inu, what's wrong?' Harry thought to his familiar, who continued to stare at Theodore, growling.

'He's evil,' Inu thought back. 'Like the Death Eaters, even if not as bad.'

Harry quickly excused himself to go to the toilet and, as soon as he reached the washing room, called Dobby and informed the elf about what Inu had told him. "Please inform Granny Mina about it immediately," he instructed the elf, who nodded in understanding.

HP

Minerva listened to Dobby's explanation in horror and immediately contacted Arcturus.

"Do you think it means that Nott Senior has been living with his wife and son and no one realised it?" she enquired.

"Possibly," the Unspeakable replied and promised to take his team and head to Nott Manor right away.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Inu to the rescue"._


	17. Inu to the rescue

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"We really could use Inu in our team," Arcturus said to Minerva upon his return to the MAMA around lunchtime. "Inu helped us to find another evil Death Eater. Nott has been put through the veil and his wife arrested for hiding a wanted criminal. We only checked Nott Manor about a year ago, and no one suspected him to be there now."

"His wife is in Azkaban?" Minerva asked, alert. "What's going to happen to her son?"

"No, she's not in Azkaban yet. She's in a ministry holding cell and needs to have a trial first," Arcturus informed her. "I don't know if they have any other relatives. I suppose that Moody is going to question her under Veritaserum. If she was only loyal to or even afraid of her husband, she won't go to Azkaban. Maybe she'll have to pay a fine, but I don't know. I'm sure Moody will inform you later on. Ask the son if he has other relatives and, in the worst case, keep him here for the time being. As he's only six, he can't be so bad."

"Bad enough for Inu to realise it," Minerva replied, grumpily.

HP

During lunch break, Minerva discussed the matter with her colleagues.

"I know Theodore's mother quite well," Narcissa spoke up, "and she's not a Death Eater. She probably was scared of her husband like I would have been if Lucius approached me."

"Then we'll just hope that Moody comes to the same conclusion, so that we can send the boy home after the last afternoon class," Minerva replied, smiling.

Fortunately, by the time the day school let out, Mrs. Nott was already back at home, so that they did not have to keep her son at the school, especially since Inu had not ceased growling at him.

Lily took Inu aside and, with Harry's interpreting assistance, explained the matter to the canine. She profusely thanked him for alerting them to the problem but instructed him, "Please do not outright growl at him during the next few weeks, but still observe if his attitude changes."

Inu confirmed his understanding with a firm woof and gently licked her hand.

HP

A few weeks later, Emma Granger was released from the muggle hospital, and Lily and Hermione convinced her to come and live at the MAMA for the time being – at least until her husband would be released as well.

_'Thank Merlin the manor is big enough to accommodate so many additional people,'_ Lily thought, as she led Emma to an empty guest room.

Not ready to return to the muggle world and work in her practice, knowing that some of the Death Eaters who had attacked her and her husband, were still running around free, Emma spent the days looking after the younger children of the extended family - Charlus, Regulus and Jonathan.

Dorea, who was now a proud member of the Unicorn class, spent every free minute with Emma and adored her, as she could tell her many interesting stories.

"She reminds me of Hermione," Emma told Lily one day. "Always wanting to know everything, always eager to learn."

"Exactly," Lily replied, smiling, only to add, "Perhaps it's even Hermione's influence, as she has always spent much time with Dorea from the time she came to study here."

"Hermione seems to be absolutely happy," Emma replied and admitted, "I've never seen her as relaxed and thoroughly contented as she seems to be here."

"That's probably because she has friends in her classmates and small siblings in Dorea and the babies," Lily explained what she had realised many months ago.

"And no one calls her freak here like her aunt, uncle and cousin do," Emma added, letting out a deep sigh. "You know," she continued, seemingly more to herself than to Lily, "I wished we could just stay here all together, but that's impossible, because Dan and I are muggles."

Lily remained pensive for a moment, before she replied. "You know, we're still lacking several professors. For example, we still need someone to teach Alchemy, History of Magic and Muggle Studies."

Emma let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry, dear, but I haven't even heard of a subject called Alchemy yet."

Lily smirked. "I can't promise you anything yet, but you or your husband should be able to either teach Muggle Studies or to become the librarian. I'd need to ask Narcissa if she'd be willing to teach History of Magic instead."

After a longer discussion among the colleagues, Emma became the librarian, while Narcissa was going to teach History of Magic from January onwards. At the same time, Minerva instructed Narcissa to suggest to her older sister to become a professor for a newly to be installed subject Law of the Magical World.

HP

When Dan Granger was released from the hospital, Emma informed him of her retirement as a dentist and asked him to remain in the magical world with her, and her husband hesitantly agreed.

"Can't deny my two ladies anything," he told James later on and happily accepted the position of the professor for Muggle Studies from January onwards. "In the meantime, I'm going to sell the practice. Our house is probably just rubble anyway."

"No," James replied, smirking. "My wife has instructed the goblins to renovate or rebuild the place. I haven't seen it yet, but she seemed happy with the goblins' work. If you don't intend to live in the muggle world anymore, we could ask the goblins to sell the house and the practice for you."

Dan agreed, and on Saturday morning, Lily and James took the Grangers to Gringotts to open an account and ask the goblins to deal with their material possessions in the muggle world.

Hermione was over the moon with joy upon hearing that her parents were going to remain at the MAMA together with her.

"Oh Eagle, life is good," she happily told her familiar, as she gently caressed his head feathers.

HP

It was six months later, when Lily and Inu accompanied a new muggleborn student to Diagon Alley to buy her school supplies that Inu suddenly began to growl and fervently attack a man, who had just exited Flourish and Blotts.

"Lucius Malfoy," Lily gasped at the sight of the blonde wizard and sent a Patronus to Arcturus, knowing that the Unspeakables would be the first to respond – usually even faster than the Aurors.

An instant later, a group of three Unspeakables popped up in front of them to restrain the badly injured Death Eater. Without doing as much as tend to his injuries, they attached a Portkey to his arm that would take him right through the veil.

"One day, we're going to get that mutt for our team," Arcturus muttered, before he profusely thanked Lily and Inu for their help in the arrest of a dangerous Death Eater.

HP

Now with Lucius gone, the Aurors were able to penetrate the dungeons at Malfoy Manor, however, only to realise that they were completely deserted. Only a few dark artefacts were left on the shelves, and the Aurors eagerly confiscated them.

"They should have asked Lucius where everyone else is hiding before killing him," Amelia muttered, when the extended family sat together for a late-night tea.

"I believe that it would be safe for our refugees now to return to their homes, don't you think so?" Regina enquired, and everyone nodded their agreement.

'_I can't wait to have the manor just for the four of us,'_ she thought, even though she was spending much time at the MAMA anyway. She was still continuing to study magic with the various professors with the intention of taking her OWLs at the end of the following school year – together with Bill Weasley and his classmates.

HP

A few weeks later, when the extended family was sitting together after dinner to celebrate Hermione's eighth birthday, a hissing voice suddenly penetrated Lily's mind.

"Lily, it's Amaterasu. Can you come to Hogwarts please? I urgently need your help."

Lily quickly informed the family and excused herself, before she alerted Fawkes and asked him to take her to Amaterasu's chamber, feeling strangely reassured when Inu insisted to accompany them.

HP

When they arrived in the chamber, a boy, seemingly a teenager, was standing in front of Amaterasu, hissing something at her that Lily could not understand, while another boy of about eleven was lying on the floor, at least unconscious if not worse.

Before she could figure out let alone ask what was happening, Inu let out a series of hisses and began to attack the older boy.

"Inu, not him, you mussst desstroy the black book over there," Amaterasu suddenly hissed, and Lily was extremely glad that she could understand the basilisk.

Inu immediately let go of the already badly injured boy and turned to the black book, which Lily only noticed, when he buried his teeth into it.

The book let out a loud hiss, followed by a scream, before the older boy vanished into thin air and the book quietened down.

"What was that?" Lily asked, horrified, only to realise that the younger boy was slowly waking up. "Are you all right?" she asked, gently.

"He made the other boy come out of the black book," Amaterasu informed her, only to add, "It'sss evil."

Inu let out a series of barks, and Amaterasu translated for Lily. "Inu says that it's not evil anymore, because he destroyed it."

"Inu, you're the best," Lily said, smiling, as she gently caressed the canine's ears.

Recognising the distinctive red hair as that of the Weasley family, Lily gave the boy a sharp look and enquired, "Are you unharmed?"

"Yes," the boy finally replied, letting out a deep sigh. "It probably was my own fault. I wrote into the book, and it replied. Someone with the name Tom replied, and he knew so much. Today, he told me he wanted to show me something special at Hogwarts, and then suddenly, we ended up here," he told her, only to add, "Thanks for coming. You probably saved my life."

"That was Inu and the basilisk, not me," Lily replied, gently, pointing to the dog, who was calmly talking with Amaterasu. "Fawkes, will you please take…" She interrupted himself, giving the boy a questioning look.

"Percy Weasley," he supplied.

"Very well, Fawkes, will you please take Percy, Inu and me to Dumbledore's office?" Lily asked the phoenix, who immediately hovered in front of them, so that they could grab his tail feathers.

An instant later, the small group found itself in front of Dumbledore's office, and Lily gave the door a sharp knock.

HP

Not waiting for the surprised deputy headmaster to even greet them, she growled, "Do you even know what the students at Hogwarts are doing? This boy was running around the school carrying a Horcrux of Voldemort. Thank Merlin the basilisk in Salazar's chamber contacted me, so that we could save your student's life."

Inu emphasized each syllable of her words with growls and barks in turns.

"A Horcrux?" Dumbledore asked, sharply, looking at the black book with interest.

"Inu destroyed it for us," Lily said, coldly, ignoring the fact that Dumbledore held out his hand.

"Please give it to me," the old wizard then asked.

"No, I'm going to hand it in to the Unspeakables," Lily replied in a no-nonsense voice. "I merely wanted to inform you about the incident and bring young Mr. Weasley to you."

"Ah but as you know, I am only the deputy headmaster…" Dumbledore began to speak, however, Lily did not wait for him to finish.

"Don't underestimate me, Dumbledore. Everyone knows that the so-called headmistress is a mere puppet under your guidance," she growled, and Inu quickly fell in, before Lily left the office with the canine in tow.

"Thanks for coming to my rescue," she heard Percy say, before she closed the door.

"Thanks Fawkes, will you please take us back home?" she then asked in a much friendlier voice, glad when they arrived where they had left an hour ago.

HP

"Let's see if I remember correctly how to make a Howler," Arthur said, grimly, upon hearing the story.

Lily chuckled. "Feel free to ask at any time. I'll gladly turn any letter to your former wife into a Howler."

Everyone laughed at her promise, and Arthur nodded, gratefully.

"Our family owes you a life debt," Bill spoke up, who had joined them for the birthday party. "Thank you so much for saving Percy."

"It's all right," Lily replied. "I only knew what was going on, because the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets is my familiar, and she alerted me to the problem. Inu here destroyed the Horcrux, so that Percy came back to life."

"He really is a hero," Arcturus spoke up from where he was sitting with Minerva in his arms. "Harry?" he addressed the seven-year-old.

"Yes sir?" Harry replied, smiling at the older wizard.

"How about you and your doggy become Mini Unspeakables?" Arcturus suggested. "We could really use a life saver like Inu, and from all I heard your magic is extremely strong, too."

"Grandfather, my godson is only seven in case you haven't noticed," Sirius spoke up, grimly. "Leave him in peace."

"I'd like that, but I have to attend school as well," Harry replied, questioningly.

"You could join us for training on Saturday mornings during school time and on a daily basis during the holidays," Arcturus suggested.

Harry gave Lily a questioning look before turning to James. "Mum, Dad, may Inu and I become Mini Unspeakables?"

"What about me?" Neville blurted out, glaring at Arcturus in apparent disdain. "I'm Harry's and Inu's twin."

"What about us?" Hermione added, eagerly. "Christa, Susan and I want to join them, too," she explained, and the mentioned girls nodded in apparent excitement.

"Yes please, together with Neville, Draco, Christa, Hermione, Susan and Inu, I want to become a Mini Unspeakable," Harry informed Arcturus, having seen her and James nod.

_'The seven of them together will make a powerful team at one stage,'_ she thought, feeling very happy for her three oldest. _'We still need to tell Neville about his parents sooner or later,'_ she then thought, inwardly groaning at the prospect.

"Very well, I'll discuss this with my colleagues, and I'll come back to you shortly," the old wizard promised, smirking.

HP

Arthur had arranged with Godric that the ancient wizard should let him know when a staff meeting was planned at Hogwarts, and just on time, he sent a house-elf to the castle to deliver his Howler to the woman, whom he had once loved.

_'I don't think I ever really loved her. I rather suspect that she put me under some kind of love potion,'_ he sometimes mused, when he was alone in his bedroom at night.

"Please show us the memory later on," he asked the founders, who happily agreed.

HP

Later the same evening, Rowena appeared in one of the paintings decorating the parlour, where the extended family used to spend their evenings.

"I have a memory to show you," she announced, smirking.

When everyone stared at her with apparent interest, she waved her hand in a complicated movement, and the memory began to play out.

Lily observed how Dumbledore and his supporters gathered in the staff room at Hogwarts, just when one of her own elves popped up and placed a red envelope in front of Molly Weasley.

As soon as she unfolded it in clear annoyance, Arthur's voice sounded through the staffroom.

"Molly, how dare you not take better care of our children? Why in the world was Percy running around Hogwarts carrying a Horcrux of Voldemort? Only Lily Potter's connection to Hogwarts and her dog's fast actions saved Percy's life. You as his guardian now owe the Potter family a life debt. I can't believe how irresponsible you are towards our own children. How anyone could make you headmistress if you're not even able to look after three of your own children is beyond my understanding. I've warned you more than once, but this time, you have gone too far. From now on, you're not allowed to carry the Weasley name anymore. I have already registered our divorce earlier today. Good bye, Molly."

An instant of absolute silence followed the Howler's shouting, before Molly broke it.

"What the… He can't do that," she began to shout at Dumbledore. "Albus, please do something."

The old wizard shook his head. "I'm sorry Molly, but I'm afraid that there's nothing I can do for you." He remained pensive for a moment, before he suggested, "Perhaps you should go and see the goblins about taking on the ladyship over the Prewett family."

"I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning," the redhead replied in apparent determination, "and then I'll take my seat on the Wizengamot," she added as an afterthought.

"She won't have luck with that," Arcturus blurted out at the MAMA, laughing so loud that the extended family looked at him in surprise.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Mini Unspeakables"._


	18. Mini Unspeakables

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"Molly Noname won't be able to take the ladyship over the Prewitt family let alone the Prewitt seat on the Wizengamot, as there is still an acting Lord Prewitt," Arcturus explained. "Actually, he is not actively participating in the Wizengamot, as he wishes to remain unknown, but he always gives me his vote. Therefore, the seat is not available at this time."

"Excuse me, Arcturus, but who might that be?" James spoke up in surprise that Lily shared. "Until now, I believed that the last members of that family were Fabian and Gideon, and they've both been killed by Voldemort."

"I'm sorry, but as he is an Unspeakable, I can't disclose his identity," Arcturus replied in a firm voice. "Unspeakable Mento is in my team together with our colleague Raros. The Mini Unspeakables are probably going to belong to our team as well," he added, thoughtfully.

"Grandfather," Sirius spoke up, seemingly annoyed. "Please invite Mento and Raros to accompany you to the MAMA and reveal their identities to us. We'll readily swear a wizard's oath to not give them away to outsiders."

"I'll ask them," Arcturus promised.

"Excuse us for asking but…"

"… Will our younger siblings…"

"… have Noname as family name as well?" the seven-year-old Weasley twins enquired.

"No," Arthur replied in determination. "Everyone except for your mother is still a Weasley."

"Oh…"

"… That's good," the twins replied in obvious relief, causing Lily to smile at the two boys, who were both very gentle and were good friends with her trio.

HP

On Saturday morning, Arcturus gathered Harry, Neville, Susan, Draco, Hermione, Christa and Inu around himself to take them to the Unspeakables' office by Portkey.

"Please do not call me Arcturus under any circumstances," he instructed them. "I am Unspeakable Ra."

"Yes sir," six voices replied, accompanied by a confirming woof.

"We still need to think about Unspeakable names for all of you; however, for today, I suggest that you merely check out how it is to be an Unspeakable in training, and in exactly a week's time, you tell me if you wish to become an Unspeakable at all. The training is hard, and it will take place in your free time; so, it is no problem if you tell me that you don't want it," Arcturus informed them, donning his Unspeakable robes as he spoke.

_'None of them will give up easily,'_ he thought, grinning under his robes, as he observed the expressions of pure determination on the young faces.

"We want it" came the unanimous response along with a firm woof.

"Let's go then, and don't forget that I am Unspeakable Ra or just Ra," the old wizard reminded them, before he made sure that everyone had a hand or a paw on the rope and activated the Portkey.

HP

When they arrived at the Unspeakables' office, Harry landed on the floor, still holding Inu firmly in his right arm. He felt very much reassured, when his familiar gently licked his face, before he freed himself from his strong grip. Harry quickly stood up from the floor, noticing in relief that most of his friends had ended up on the floor as well.

"Now, welcome to the Unspeakables' office," Ra greeted them. "This is our training room in its plain state," he continued, waving his hand around the large room that was completely void of anything except for the floor, "and this is Devil, our trainer. He is the only one who is not wearing robes. You – just like me – will wear robes everywhere with the exception of our team room. I belong to team 5, and you will, most likely, be assigned to my team. At least I hope so," he added.

"Devil is very strict, but he's good, and barely ever anyone manages to beat him in a duel," Ra continued.

Harry looked at Devil with respect. _'He looks very strict,_' he thought, however, felt very much reassured, when Inu sniffed the man but seemed to have no problem with him. He even lightly waggled his tail.

"Do they have their own wands?" Devil addressed Ra, who shook his head.

"The doggy is the only one who has a proper wand. For the others, we still need to make them, as they only have children's wands, which they use in the primary school."

"How is that?" the trainer asked in apparent disbelief.

"He beat Dumbledore in a duel," Harry supplied, causing the trainer's eyes to widen in surprise.

"He's in the possession of the Elder wand," Ra added, and Devil stared at Inu in apparent disbelief.

"Respect, Doggy," he told the canine, who in return gently licked the trainer's right hand.

After a few minutes of talking with the trainer about their lessons, Ra introduced them to Croaker, the head Unspeakable, who was very friendly and confirmed that they were going to belong to team 5.

"Saturday next week, I want you to tell me if you really want to join us, and then you'll need to swear an oath on your magic to comply with our rules and keep everything that you learn here a secret," Croaker informed them.

"I can swear my oath right away," Harry replied.

"…. As we want to belong to the team in any case," Neville continued, and Inu nodded in confirmation.

The girls immediately agreed, and Croaker looked at Ra, _'probably in question,'_ Harry thought, however, was unable to see their expressions, as their faces were covered by their robes.

Ra let out a deep sigh. "I've known all of them since they were little tykes, and as a whole they mean trouble. Just trouble. But they know what they want."

"Still I can't make seven-year-olds swear on their magic," Croaker replied, uncertainly. He remained thoughtful for a moment, before he instructed the children how to swear their oaths.

Inu climbed on Harry's lap and placed his paw onto Harry's, as the children, who were sitting in a circle around a stool, on which a large book was sitting, placed their hands onto the book and made their oath.

"I swear to abide by the rules of the Unspeakables, try to act like a worthy Unspeakable and to keep all secrets I hear in the Unspeakables' office for myself," the children recited the harmless version of the usual Unspeakables' oath like Croaker had instructed them. Even Inu joined in, although his words sounded to everyone but Harry like a series of woofs.

As soon as they received their Unspeakable robes, Ra ushered them back into the training room, where Devil gave them their first lesson.

To Harry's surprise, the room was not plain at all anymore. It was as if they were in a forest, and Devil instructed them to hide behind trees, as he was going to try to take their wands away using the Expelliarmus spell.

"You don't have to hide if you're sure that you can take my wand from me or put up a shield charm," Devil added, grinning.

_'He seems to deserve that name,'_ Harry thought, as he quickly left his hiding zone and dashed behind another tree, as the trainer came nearer. '_This is hell of a training.'_

Inu, however, did not need a wand to cast magic. He did not even bring the Elder wand that was safe in their private rooms at the MAMA. When Devil tried to cast Expelliarmus at the canine, he was flung back through the air and thrown against a tree.

Harry observed the scene in horror, feeling certain that Inu would not be allowed to participate in their training anymore. However, Devil merely rose from the ground and nodded in Inu's direction.

"Well done, Doggy," he told him. "You're the first who managed to beat me in more than twenty-five years."

Then he continued the training session, as if nothing had happened.

Ten minutes later, all children had lost their wands to the trainer, and the forest changed into a foggy beach, on which the children had to find Devil to get their wands back. It was much fun, even if difficult.

All of a sudden, Inu stood in front of Harry, wanting to be picked up. _'Why?'_ Harry wondered but did the canine the favour and gently held him in his arm, only to realise that he was suddenly able to see the others' auras.

'His aura is dark green, while our friends' auras are still light green,' Inu informed him, telepathically, and Harry quickly headed towards the dark green aura, only to find himself face to face with Devil.

"Well done, Harry," the trainer commended him.

However, Harry shook his head and explained about the auras that he could see with Inu on his arm.

"That's interesting," Devil replied, thoughtfully. "It probably won't work for anyone else but for you, as you're bonded to Inu. His magic must be extremely strong for him to be able to share this ability with you, and it's an incredibly useful ability."

"You're the best," Harry whispered to Inu, gently cradling the dog close, before he placed him back onto the floor.

HP

Even if the training was hard and they were exhausted afterwards, the Mini Unspeakables thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and each of them decided that they wanted to continue.

"It's much more interesting than our classes," Draco said aloud, what the others thought, and they quickly agreed, when the children told Harry's extended family about their first day at the Unspeakables' office.

"Of course it was Inu who got special attention once again," Arcturus quipped, before he explained that the canine seemed to be able to see auras and could even share his ability with Harry.

"We need to think of Unspeakable names for all of us," Neville spoke up.

"But how are we supposed to do that?" Harry continued.

"Just choose a name you'd like," James advised them, "just like we once chose our Marauder names."

"I suggest calling Inu Flash," Sirius spoke up, pointing at the flash shaped scar on the canine's behind.

"Harry could be Doggy then," Remus quipped, smiling at the boy.

"I'd like that," Harry replied, as he helped himself to a ginger biscuit.

"I'll be Eagle then," Hermione offered.

"That's fitting," Emma agreed.

"Can I be Kitty then?" Susan enquired.

"Oh well, if you all want to choose animals as names, be my guest," Arcturus replied, smirking.

"I'll be Phoenix then," Christa spoke up, and Harry looked at the girl in apparent admiration.

'_Good choice of an animal_,' Lily thought.

"I'll be Toady," Neville decided.

"Draco, how about Unicorn?" Hermione suggested; however, Draco shook his head.

"I'm going to be Niffler," he stated, causing everyone to laugh; however, the boy seemed contented with his own choice.

"Are all of you sure about that?" Arcturus asked, and the seven, including Inu, nodded their heads in agreement. "Very well, I'll give your names to Croaker then," he added, seemingly happy with the outcome of their discussion.

"Are the Unspeakables going to teach them the Animagus transformation?" James spoke up with apparent interest, causing Lily to inwardly roll her eyes. _'James, they're only seven,'_ she thought in annoyance.

However, as could be expected, the children were all for it and began to pester Arcturus about the matter, who then promised to speak with Devil.

"Devil?" Amelia asked in apparent bewilderment.

"Our trainer, and yes, as all Unspeakables are Animagi, I'm sure he will teach the Minis. Perhaps not exactly at the age of seven though," Arcturus replied, before he gave Minerva a beseeching look.

"I believe that it's time for the Minis to go to bed," Minerva spoke up in a firm voice, and everyone agreed.

"Mum, can I stay in Hermione's room overnight?" Christa asked in apparent excitement.

"If that's all right with Emma and Lily?" Regina replied, questioningly.

'_She should know by now that Christa is always welcome in our rooms,'_ Lily thought, before she voiced her agreement.

HP

The children said good night to the adults and headed upstairs.

Knowing that they were going to have a few minutes, before their parents would follow them to say good night, Harry quickly gathered the others in front of his, Neville's and Inu's room.

"We could ask Sirius…"

"… to teach us how to become Animagi," Neville completed his suggestion.

"Let's do that," Draco agreed.

"Do you know what animals you wish to become?" Hermione enquired.

"Are you going to become an eagle?" Harry asked, and the girl eagerly confirmed that that was exactly what she wanted.

"I'm not sure if we can choose our Animagi forms though," she added, thoughtfully.

"I don't remember the first time I changed into a dog, but I'm sure that I chose it. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't look just like Inu," Harry replied, pensively. "I still want to try to become a phoenix as well. I think Fawkes would like that."

Hearing the adults coming up the staircase, the children quickly decided to ask Sirius first thing in the morning and headed to their own rooms.

HP

Once they were in bed, however, the twins could not wait to receive answers to their questions.

"Mum, Dad…"

"… can we choose our own Animagi forms…"

"… and will Inu be able to become an Animagus too?" they enquired.

Their parents exchanged a look that Harry recognised as annoyance, before their father replied, pensively.

"First of all, I'm not sure about Inu. Does he want to become an Animagus at all, and which animal would he choose?" he returned the question.

=I'd like to become a phoenix like Fawkes and Harry,= Inu replied and Harry automatically translated.

"You can try," their mother spoke up. "I believe that the stronger your magic is, the greater the chance that you'll manage to become the animal you want. Since all three of you have exceptionally strong magic, it could be possible."

"What of our friends though…"

"… Is their magic not strong enough?" the twins asked in concern.

"I believe that they're all quite powerful as well, and the training with the Unspeakables will strengthen your magic further," their father replied in a firm voice, only to confirm, "Magic can be enhanced by training."

"Is the Weasley twins' magic strong enough?" Neville enquired.

"They'll want to become Animagi, too," Harry explained.

HP

First thing on Sunday morning, they asked the older twins if they wanted to become Animagi as well, and Fred and George immediately agreed.

"We want to become parrots…"

"… so that everyone will be able…"

"… to understand our babbling…"

"… without translation," the nine-year-olds replied, pleasantly.

"Let's ask Sirius to teach us," Harry decided in determination, deciding to head to his godfather's bedroom to ask him in private.

Needless to say, Neville and Inu accompanied their brother, and Sirius moaned in apparent annoyance, when two dogs and a seven-year-old boy entered his bedroom at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning, especially when the two canines jumped onto his bed in excitement.

=Sirius will you teach us how to become Animagi?= Harry enquired.

"Yeah, I'll teach you, but now leave and let me sleep," Sirius groaned, and the children decided to not further upset the Marauder at this time.

HP

It was in the morning of Christmas Eve, when the older students and teachers readied themselves for the annual Yule Ball, that Arthur Weasley received a letter from his son Percy.

"Percy asks if he could possibly attend the MAMA, as he is not happy at Hogwarts anymore. Apparently, his mother believes that it is his fault that she was cast out of the family," he informed his colleagues at lunchtime.

"Of course he can come," James replied, shaking his head in annoyance at Molly Noname.

"Inu will still have to evaluate him," Minerva added.

"Does he?" James enquired, "considering that he saved his life in the chamber?"

"That's true," Lily agreed. "He shouldn't have a problem with him."

"Of course," Minerva agreed and suggested to Arthur that Percy should just board the MAMA Express with everyone else on the 2nd of January.

Little could they know that Inu under no circumstances would have accepted the boy and his pet rat into the MAMA.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "The prophecy"._


	19. The prophecy

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

As there were no other new students apart from Percy Weasley in the middle of the school year, only James, Inu and Arthur went to the station to greet the students and accompany them back to the MAMA, while their colleagues remained at the school.

Apparently, Percy had already made friends on the train with Oliver Wood, the Quidditch captain of the first-years, and he seemed outright happy to be able to attend the MAMA from now on.

"I think Mum is slowly going crazy, and she does everything that Dumbledore wants," he told his father, who nodded in apparent understanding.

"I'm glad that you found your way here," he told his son, and even if Arthur barely ever showed any emotion, James thought that he seemed outright happy.

As usual, Inu ran through the crowd greeting the students he liked and examining if there was anything out of the normal; however, he seemed happy by the time they arrived at the school.

Only when they reached the entrance hall, Percy suddenly blurted out, "My rat. Have you seen Scabbers?"

"No," Oliver replied in apparent confusion. "I know that you still had it, when we got off the train. It was looking out of your robe pocket."

"Oh well, he'll hopefully find me later on," Percy replied, shaking his head in apparent annoyance. "He often goes for walks. He did that at Hogwarts, too."

_'I can't believe that people get rats as familiars,' _James thought in annoyance, as he listened to the two first-years' conversation, when he walked into the atrium behind them. _'They're absolutely disgusting. Just like Peter was,'_ a small voice added from the back of his mind.

HP

A few days later, Molly Noname strode into the Ministry of Magic and demanded to speak to the Minister of Magic.

"Minister Bones is busy right now, and you don't have an appointment," Miranda Miller informed her, eyeing the red-haired witch in annoyance. _'I so understand why Arthur separated from her,'_ she thought.

Unfortunately, the witch began to scream at her that, as the headmistress of Hogwarts, she was very well entitled to see the minister, when she was able to get away from the school – be it with our without appointment.

While Miranda was still pondering how to react, Amelia opened her door.

"What's the matter here?" she asked in a strict voice, of which Miranda was glad that Amelia had so far never used it towards her.

"Miss Noname wishes to speak with you," she informed her boss, who stared at the redhead in apparent surprise.

"Molly," she said in a voice that was void of any emotion.

"Amelia, you must help me," the witch pleaded. "I went to Gringotts to accept the ladyship of the Prewitt family; however, the goblins told me that I couldn't do that. There was already someone holding the title. But when I asked who it was, they said they couldn't tell me. And I know for a fact that my whole family is dead."

Amelia nodded in apparent understanding.

"Can you help me? I wish to gain the ladyship, and I also want to take my rightful seat on the Wizengamot," Molly informed the minister.

"For the Wizengamot, you'll have to speak with Lord Greengrass," Amelia replied, dismissively; "however, to occupy your seat, it has to be vacant, and you'll need the title." She remained pensive for a moment, and Miranda was glad that the redhead waited quietly, before the minister continued, decisively. "I'm sorry to say this, Molly, but if the person who is the head of the Prewitt family, does not consider it necessary to inform you about it, then there's nothing that Lord Greengrass or I could do about it, because it is a family matter of the Prewitts."

Miranda efficiently managed to hide a chuckle, when the redhead's face took on a colour that matched her hair.

"I suggest that you try sending a letter to Lord Prewitt and ask to be reinstalled into the Prewitt family. Whoever the lord is, he probably won't deny you a family name," the minister added.

Molly glared at Amelia and left without a further word.

"Is there a Lord Prewitt at all?" Miranda whispered to Amelia, who nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, there is, but since he's an Unspeakable, I can't disclose his name to anyone, not even to you, my dear," her boss replied, smiling.

Miranda nodded in understanding.

HP

The soul took in its surroundings with contentedness. _'That worked well,'_ it thought, as it floated around the park. _'Now I only need to possess someone and take over the body. The question is whom to possess, considering that I'm going to look like them in the future.'_

HP

Harry groaned in annoyance. "This just doesn't work," he complained to Neville, who let out a deep sigh, expressing his shared disappointment about the matter.

"It's annoying," Hermione confirmed. But remember that Sirius told us it took them three years to become Animagi."

"And they were older than us," Susan added.

"I just wished we could do it sooner," Draco spoke up, sighing.

"Why don't we go and play Quidditch?" Christa suggested. "Just a little over three years and we're going to be first-years. Let's practise, so that we manage to get the Quidditch cup seven years in a row."

"A brilliant idea…"

"… Let's go," Harry and Neville agreed, ignoring Inu's light growl and indignant expression.

"I'm surprised that you want to become a phoenix Animagus," Christa addressed the canine, "considering how much you dislike flying."

Inu looked up at her, indifferently. =That will probably change when I'm a bird,= he woofed back, and Harry quickly translated.

"Hopefully," Christa replied, chuckling, causing the group to laugh at the canine, who dashed ahead towards the park.

HP

Too soon for the trio's liking, school let out and the older students left for the summer holidays.

_'As much as they annoy me, as we barely have any private space apart from our own rooms anymore, some of them are really nice,' _Harry thought, as he said good-bye to Nymphadora Tonks, who had just finished her third year together with Charlie and insisted that they call her Tonks instead of Nymphadora.

"I'll try to convince my mother to visit Aunt Narcissa some time and bring me with her," Tonks said, almost as if she had been able to read his thoughts.

"That would be great," Neville replied, grinning.

"We're going to have much fun during the holidays," Harry added.

"At least you're going to have each other and Charlie and his siblings," Tonks replied, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm going to be all alone with my parents, who will have to work all day anyway."

"I thought that Aunt Drommy was going to teach Law here," Draco spoke up, giving his cousin a questioning look.

"Really?" Tonks asked, her eyes widening with surprise and excitement.

Draco shrugged. "At least Mum said she'd try to convince her."

"Oh, I'll gladly contribute to the convincing," Tonks replied, pleasantly, her hair changing from a dull green to a pleasant orange colour.

HP

In the evening of the first day of the holidays, a huge party took place at Lestrange Manor, to which Regina had invited the permanent residents of the MAMA. She had finished her OWLs, and even if she had not received her results yet, she knew that she had managed to pass every single subject and was incredibly happy about it. Just two years ago, she had still believed to be a Squib, and now, she was a proud member of an NEWT class at the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts.

"Thank you all so much for coming and for helping me with my infantile steps though the magical world," she greeted everyone, smiling broadly.

"You're more than welcome, dear," Minerva replied, smiling, "and we thank you very much for the invitation."

Harry and the other Mini Unspeakables enjoyed themselves greatly exploring the manor together with Dorea, the Weasley twins and the redheads' older brothers.

HP

"I don't really like Percy," Harry said to his brothers, once they were back in their bedroom late in the evening.

"Yeah, he's a bit stuck-up," Neville immediately agreed.

Inu, who was busily cleaning his right front paw, interrupted what he was doing to comment, =His rat is extremely strange though, but I didn't get close enough to it to properly examine it.=

"In what way strange?" Neville enquired, once Harry had translated Inu's woofs for his brother.

=I don't know,= Inu replied, simply, as he proceeded to lick his left front paw.

"Oh well, rats are disgusting…" Neville decided.

"… and should better be used as potions ingredients anyway," Harry added, before he climbed into bed, gently lifting the covers for Inu to slip under and cuddle against his stomach.

HP

During the summer holidays, the Mini Unspeakables became very busy. In the mornings, they had training with Devil, before they spent the afternoons assisting the professors of the MAMA with their research and tasks.

HP

While the Mini Unspeakables were training at the ministry, Narcissa, Regina and some of the staff who were not busy with either research or the preparation of classes entertained five-year-old Dorea, three-year-old Charlus and Regulus and two-year-old Jonathan.

Bill intensely studied with Nicholas Flamel, as the old wizard wished to retire and saw a worthy successor in Bill once he would have taken his NEWTs in two years' time.

His brother Charlie spent the whole summer holidays training with the Welsh Dragons, a professional Quidditch team that had its training facilities right on the other side of Dragonsedge.

Percy, who had just only finished his first year at the MAMA, assisted Andromeda Black, the new professor for Law, with her lesson plan and the preparations for her classroom.

When Andromeda's daughter Tonks heard about the Mini Unspeakables' training with the Unspeakables, she was all for it and begged Arcturus to take her on as an Unspekable in training as well.

Having known the girl as a diligent student with the rare ability of a metamorphmagus, Minerva managed to convince the man, who had secretly become her fiancé, to give young Nymphadora the opportunity.

HP

It was on July 31, when the extended family celebrated the trio's birthday, that Raros and Mento agreed to accompany Ra and the Mini Unspeakables to the MAMA.

"Are you sure that it's safe with all the little ones running around?" Tonks asked in concern, causing Mento to laugh at the fourteen-year-old, who had recently joined their team.

"Don't worry, little one," he said in a soothing voice. "Don't forget that we're trained Unspeakables."

Raros nodded, before he explained, "We're going to cast a charm over the whole group of attendees of the party that will make them unable to reveal our identities to anyone not in attention."

"Constant vigilance, as Moody uses to say," Arcturus added, smirking.

The Mini Unspeakables laughed in understanding, as everyone knew the grumpy head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, who was still a frequent guest at the MAMA, even if James and Sirius had left the Auror contingent years ago.

HP

As usual, Inu sniffed all presents, before he allowed Harry and Neville near them let alone open them. Nevertheless, among their presents was one gift, which Harry would have preferred to not receive.

When he unwrapped the gift, which was wrapped in dark blue paper with twinkling moons and stars, he pulled out the book '_Hogwarts: A History'_.

As his parents knew him to be the owner of Hogwarts, they had suggested for him to read this book, as soon as he could read well enough, and he and his siblings and friends all knew the book by heart.

_'Why would anyone give that to me now?' _he wondered and curiously lifted the cover, only to realise that it was slightly different from the self-updating copy, which he owned. It ended with Voldemort's attack in Godric's Hollow.

_'How strange. I wonder who gave it to me and why,' _he thought, when a small parchment fell out of the book. Curiously unfolding it, he realised that it was a letter.

_'Dear Harry,  
you must know that there is a prophecy, which was made a year before you were born, involving Voldemort and either you or Neville Longbottom. However, considering that Voldemort chose to attack you and your parents and not Neville and his parents, you are now the target of the prophecy. Your parents are aware of it. Please ask them to tell you the exact content of it. In short, Voldemort will come back and you are the one who has to vanquish him for good. Moreover, your dog wears the symbol of the attack, the scar on his behind. He will have to die, before you can defeat Voldemort. If you have questions or need help, I will always be there for you. You only need to ask.  
Yours sincerely  
Albus Dumbledore  
Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts'_

Harry stared at the letter in bewilderment, before he handed it to his mother. "Mum, tell me that this isn't true," he blurted out, horrified.

"Dumbledore! I'm going to kill him!" Sirius blurted out after reading the letter over Lily's shoulder. Before anyone could stop him, he transformed into his canine form and dashed away.

When everyone, who ran after him, reached the entrance hall, they could only see Sirius, who was back in his human form, floo away with Inu nestled between his feet.

"Inu!" Harry shouted, indignantly, staring at the fireplace in irritation.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Family matters"._


	20. Family matters

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**A.N.** Please allow me some comments on your kind reviews. a) Inu is a magical dog and should be able to live much longer than the usual life span of a muggle dog. b) On the day they moved to the manor, they __forgot to ward it against Peter. They only crossed out Dumbledore from the list of allowed visitors but forgot Peter._

* * *

When they arrived at the Three Broomsticks, as Sirius had not wanted to floo right into the headmistress' office at Hogwarts, he transformed back into his canine form and ran all the way to Hogwarts, the thought _'I'm going to get back at Dumbledore' _at the front of his mind. He was closely followed by Inu, who was much faster than himself in spite of having much shorter legs than the Animagus.

As soon as they reached the Hogwarts grounds, however, Inu began to attack and pull him into a mock fight – just like one of those, which they had so often conducted during the last few years.

Sirius could not deny that he had fun. They were rolling back and forth in the grass around the lake, then again playfully trying to bite each other with fervour.

Every few minutes, however, the thought _'I need to get back at Dumbledore'_ returned to the front of his mind and he told Inu as much.

However, Inu merely replied, =Leave him to me. Just tell him 'Ariana will be waiting for you to die and join her', and I'll do the rest.=

=What are you going to do to him and how?= Sirius enquired. =You can't just kill him, or the Aurors will kill you.=

Inu all but scoffed. =Me? But I am the dog who lived,= he replied, seemingly indignant. =Let's just go to see him.=

Playfully pushing each other towards the entrance doors, the two canines made their way to Dumbledore's office. Only in front of the door did Sirius transform back into his human form, before he gave the door a sharp knock.

"Come in," they heard Dumbledore say, and Sirius ripped the door open.

"Dumbledore, you old coot," he hissed at the older wizard. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ah my boy, but I merely wanted to help young Harry see his destiny," Dumbledore replied in his grandfatherly voice that Sirius detested so much.

From the corners of his eyes, he saw Inu's face that showed extreme concentration, before the canine finally relaxed.

Having no idea what Dumbledore had said to him in the meanwhile, he uttered, "Oh well, Ariana will be waiting for you, when you pass on to your next great adventure." Not waiting for a response, he quickly left the room with Inu on his heels.

Only when they were back on the grounds, he transformed and asked, =What did you do to him?=

=That's for me to know and for you to find out over time,= Inu replied, playfully reaching out with his front paw to make Sirius stumble.

=Don't say such a thing but explain,= Sirius demanded, once he was back on his four paws. =What kind of magic was that, and how do you even know about it?=

=I'm afraid that was not good magic,= Inu replied, letting out a sigh of apparent reproachfulness. =Ever since I got that scar, I have memories that are not my own. I know much about people and I know many bad spells…=

=Wait, you got information from Voldemort's mind?= Sirius replied in a combination of excitement and horror.

=I don't know,= Inu replied, before he jumped up from where he was sitting next to the lake and dashed in the direction of Hogsmeade, leaving Sirius with no other option than to follow him.

HP

Lily let out a deep sigh. "Harry, there are facts, which are true, and other points, which are not true," she began to explain.

"There is a prophecy, but we believe that it applies neither to you nor to Neville but Inu. The scar on Inu's behind, however, is nothing but a curse scar, and he does not have to die, before anyone can defeat Voldemort. I wouldn't be surprised if Inu was able to defeat him, but if someone else managed to do it, it would merely mean that the prophecy didn't come to happen," Lily explained and continued, "No one can tell if things, which are prophesized, are really going to happen. As to Voldemort coming back, it is possible, and when you're older, we're going to explain all the details to you. Just know that the Unspeakables are already looking into the matter and have been for the better part of five years now. So, there's no need to worry about this now."

"Thanks Mum," Harry replied, seeming very much consoled by his mother's explanation.

"I just hope that Sirius won't do anything stupid," James spoke up, letting out a deep sigh. "As much as that old coot grades on my nerves, we need Padfoot here and not in Azkaban."

"Inu won't let him do anything bad," Harry replied, confidently.

"That's true," Lily agreed, smiling. "Thank Merlin he went with him."

Nevertheless, she inwardly sighed in relief, when Sirius returned to the birthday party with Inu in tow.

"What did you do to him?" Remus asked, strictly, eyeing his old friend with apprehension.

"Nothing," Sirius replied, lightly. "I only talked to him."

"What?" James asked in apparent disbelief.

Sirius shrugged. "Inu did something to him though, but I don't know what it was."

"Inu?" Lily asked, questioningly.

The canine looked up to her, came over and gently licked her hand, before he made his way over to his siblings.

HP

Only later in the evening, when the children were already in bed, exhausted from the birthday party, Sirius informed Lily, James and Amelia what Inu had admitted to him.

"He's got memories from Voldemort?" Lily asked, horrified.

James nodded in apparent understanding. "That must be why he's able to speak Parseltongue."

"So he probably cast a dark spell at Dumbledore?" Amelia enquired.

"Probably yes," Sirius admitted. "But he was still very much alive when we left."

"Inu wouldn't kill anyone," Lily immediately spoke up for the dog. "I understand that he was upset on Harry's behalf though."

It should take months, before they would get to know just what kind of dark magic Inu had cast at the old wizard.

HP

When Harry was waiting for Devil to find him in their newest hide-and-seek practice at the Unspeakables' office the following morning, he pulled Dumbledore's letter out of his robe pocket and read it again. _'Neville's parents are the same as mine, aren't they?'_ he wondered upon reading '_Voldemort chose to attack you and your parents and not Neville and his parents'_. '_That's strange. We have the same parents_,' he thought but quickly pocketed the letter, as he heard Devil approach.

During the rest of the day, he pondered the matter, before he finally decided to ask someone about it. The question was whom to ask. Neville would be his first choice; however, it was very unlikely that his twin knew more than him and could give him an adequate answer. Inu would be his second choice, but did the canine know more than him?

By the time they returned home, he was still pondering if he should speak with his siblings first or with his mother.

The chance arose, however, to speak with his mother, when he assisted her and Uncle Severus in the lab later in the afternoon, while Neville was in the greenhouses with Professor Sprout and Inu was asleep in Harry's and Neville's room.

While diligently preparing the ingredients, he hesitantly asked, "You and Dad are Neville's and my parents, aren't you? Oh well, and Dorea's and Charlus' of course," he added as an afterthought.

Putting her potion under a stasis charm, his mother cast him a horrified look.

"I wondered when Harry would ask," Uncle Severus commented and, upon his mother's surprised look, informed her about the expression in Dumbledore's letter.

"Harry," his mother spoke up in a soft voice, "Dad and I are your parents and Dorea's and Charlus', but Neville has his own parents. Unfortunately, they're very sick and not able to care for him, so that we took him in when you were still babies. We intended to tell you, when you were eleven at the latest; however, Uncle Severus and I are working on a potion to hopefully cure the Longbottoms."

"That's why his name is different from ours," Harry said in understanding.

"Does it matter?" Uncle Severus asked in a soft voice. "He's still your twin, isn't he?"

Harry nodded. "Always," he promised, smiling, even if the smile did not reach his eyes. "No, it doesn't matter," he added as an afterthought.

"Please don't say anything to Neville," his mother instructed him. "Dad and I will tell him one day, hopefully on the day, when we'll be able to cure Aunt Alice and Uncle Frank."

HP

"He's so grown up already," Lily said to James, when she told him about the matter late at night in the master bedroom.

"I can't thank Inu enough," James replied. "The other day, Rowena showed me visions of hers, which she had about Harry's childhood. We had been killed by Voldemort and he grew up with the Dursleys because of Dumbledore's blood wards, completely unloved and treated like a house-elf. It was just horrible, and it's only thanks to Inu that it didn't come to that."

"That's true," Lily agreed, smiling, as she snuggled into his side and slowly drifted off to sleep. "Thank Merlin. The blood wards wouldn't have worked anyway, as Petunia isn't related to Harry at all."

HP

The Mini Unspeakables were almost disappointed, when school began again and the Hippogriff class commenced.

"Training with the Unspeakables is definitely more interesting," Draco informed the adults of the extended family, and the others immediately agreed.

"I don't like Gilderoy very much," Harry admitted, "and Inu doesn't either."

"Remember that no one except for the family must know that you're Unspeakables," Arcturus reminded the children, who nodded in agreement.

"If you want, we could still excuse the seven of you from the afternoon classes, pretending that we'd home school you for a few hours each day," Lily said, pensively.

"Oh yes please," Susan, Hermione and Christa pleaded, simultaneously.

"Ra, can we do that…"

"…and have training in the afternoons?" the twins asked Arcturus, who pretended to be thoroughly annoyed.

"Oh no, those Minis again," he groaned in apparent annoyance, before he gave them a reassuring nod. "Let me ask Devil, but I think it'll be all right."

Gilderoy Lockhardt was not pleased to say the least to lose his seven best students every afternoon; however, as it was Lily's decision as the headmistress of the primary school, so that there was nothing that he could do to prevent it, and the seven eight-year-olds were outright happy.

HP

It was in the morning after a loud and joyful Halloween party, which had taken place in the atrium, that Narcissa received a letter from Buckbean, asking her to come to see him at Gringotts at her earliest convenience.

"I wonder what the goblins want," she said to Andromeda, showing her the letter at breakfast.

"I have no clue," Andromeda replied in obvious surprise. "Do you want me to accompany you?"

"Would you do that?" Narcissa asked, feeling very grateful, when her older sister gave her a comforting nod.

HP

It was later the same day that Moody payed the MAMA a visit, however, immediately informed Minerva that it was not a social visit, when he stepped out of the fireplace in the headmistress' office.

"What brings you here, Alastor?" Minerva asked, kindly.

"I need to speak with Black," Moody all but growled. "Apparently, he did something to Dumbledore on the thirty-first of July."

"In July?" Minerva asked, incredulously, as she sent a Patronus to the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. "Isn't that a bit late to come to speak with him?"

"Well, at first, Albus seemed to have believed that it was a passing thing, you see, but as he's still incapacitated, he recalled what he had been doing at the time, and that it was when Sirius visited him together with the Dog hero. He came to speak with me this morning."

"I remember that day," Minerva replied, grimly, just when Sirius entered the room. _'They talked about Inu casting dark magic at Albus, but I certainly won't give away the cutie,'_ she thought in determination. "Albus sent young Harry a horrible letter for his birthday," she explained, "telling him about a prophecy, that he had to fight Voldemort, that Inu had to die and whatever. Sirius and Inu then went to Hogwarts to tell Albus off. I don't think they cast any spells at him," she informed the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in spite of knowing better.

"I didn't," Sirius confirmed, matter-of-factly.

HP

On Saturday morning, Minerva and Sirius headed to the staff room to ask the founders if they knew what had happened to Albus Dumbledore, while the rest of the Marauders took the Mini Unspeakables and their siblings on an excursion to the coast for the day.

At the same time, the two Black sisters travelled to Gringotts, knowing that Draco was in good hands.

'_I wonder why Buckbean summoned me,'_ Narcissa thought, eyeing the white building of the bank with a feeling of foreboding. 'At least Buckbean is nice,' she thought, feeling very grateful towards Lily, who had introduced the goblin to her, after Arcturus had accepted her and Draco back into the Black family.

"Mrs. Black, Mrs. Black-Tonks," Buckbean greeted them and motioned them to take a seat. "Thank you so much for coming. Actually, I have something to discuss with you as the guardian of the heir to the Malfoy family."

"All right, Buckbean. What might be the problem?" Narcissa asked in confusion, feeling incredibly assured by Andromeda's presence.

"We received a letter from a certain Ambrosius Malfoy," Buckbean explained, looking at a few parchments that were spread out on his desk. "He insists that his grandfather Septimus was the younger brother of Nicholas Malfoy, who immigrated to Australia in the 1930s. He claims to be the rightful Malfoy heir."

"Is that even possible, considering that my former husband was the Lord Malfoy?" Narcissa asked, incredulously.

"Did this Septimus Malfoy even exist?" Andromeda enquired, giving the goblin a look of pure doubt.

Buckbean let out a deep sigh.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Trial and error"._


	21. Trial and error

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

"Our researchers are currently looking into the history of the Malfoy family. They're also in contact with our Gringotts branch in Sydney to clarify the situation." Sighing again, he continued, "Ms. Black, Ms. Black-Tonks, as soon as I receive information, I shall contact you. I've sent Mr. Malfoy a request to present himself here as soon as possible; however, he replied that it might take a few weeks, before he'd be able to come, considering that he was still in Australia."

"If this Mr. Malfoy showed up," Narcissa spoke up in a shaken voice, "would he be able to claim the heritage?"

"That's for the Malfoy ring to decide," Buckbean replied, frankly.

"The more I think about it, the more I believe that something is wrong here though," Narcissa said, thoughtfully. "My former husband often talked about his gorgeous family." She spat the word in disgust. "I've heard about Nicholas more frequently than I'd have wished for, but he never mentioned a Septimus Malfoy."

"Well, even if he existed and his grandson had the gall to show up here, the ring would still have to accept him," Andromeda said in a soothing voice. "Perhaps he was a Squib and was sent to Australia for that reason. Don't worry about it now. Even if so, you and Draco are members of the Black family in any case, and independently if he will become the Lord Malfoy or not, Draco will make his own way anyway. Fortunately, he's completely different from your former husband."

"That's true," Narcissa agreed, smiling at the thought.

HP

Sirius inwardly groaned in annoyance, as he entered the staff room together with Minerva. _'I'd have rather accompanied the other Marauders and the Mini Unspeakables to the shore,_' he thought in exasperation. _'Do I even care what's wrong with Dumbledore?'_

Minerva, however, seemed eager to find out what had happened and immediately began to question Godric.

"I'm sorry, Minerva, but I don't know anything," Godric replied and admitted, "Molly Noname is so annoying that I've asked Rowena to come into my portrait and cast a sleeping spell at me, so that my portrait is now asleep at all times. Only when a new headmaster takes over the office from that bitch, Rowena will come and wake me up."

_'Oh, that's cool teamwork between husband and wife,'_ Sirius thought in amazement. _'I wonder if Amelia would be willing to do such a thing for me. Oh well, thank Merlin I don't need it.'_

"I suggest that you send Lily or James to Hogwarts to ask her. She should know everything that's going on within her walls," Rowena spoke up in a soft voice, causing Minerva to immediately agree.

_'Thank Merlin, that was quick,'_ Sirius thought, as he transformed into his canine form and quickly took off, rushing after his best friends and children.

HP

On Sunday morning, Lily sent James to speak with Hogwarts, while she, Harry, Dorea and Inu paid Amaterasu a short visit. In fact, she was eager to return to the lab as soon as possible, as she and Severus hoped to be close to finding a cure for the Longbottoms.

During the last few weeks, they had led several lengthy conversations with Merlin and together had developed a recipe with about five slightly different variations, of which at least one should be the solution. At least that was what Merlin, Severus and she hoped.

The thought _'It would be fantastic if we could cure them by Christmas' _pressed itself to the front of her mind in spite of the fact that she feverishly tried to not get her hopes up. '_Maybe we still need several years to succeed,_' she thought, when the appearance of Amaterasu brought her back to reality.

HP

At the same time, James made his way to the founders' quarters and into the parlour to speak with the castle.

"Hogwarts," he greeted the castle. "How are you faring?"

"I feel lonely," the old castle sighed. "Only the thought of you and Lily coming to visit me, possibly even together with little Harry and Dorea keeps me from getting insane."

"We'll think about something," James promised. "In fact, I already have an idea. I'm only waiting for the current staff to make one or the other grave mistake to fire them all and take over."

"I'll patiently wait for that day," Hogwarts promised, and even if he could not see a face on the wall, James had the impression as if the old lady was smiling.

Letting out a deep sigh, he decided that it was time to get to the point and asked, "Do you know if something is wrong with Dumbledore by the way?"

Hogwarts echoed his sigh, before she replied, slowly, "I believe that his magic is somehow weakened. He's barely able to properly cast spells recently. In fact, the headmistress has been taking over his classes ever since the beginning of the school year, while he spends his days in the headmistress' office doing paperwork."

"Is he a Squib?" James enquired, his eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"I'm not sure if it's that bad," Hogwarts replied.

"Do you know how it happened?" James asked in concern. '_Is that what Inu did to him?'_ he wondered.

"Not at all my boy," Hogwarts replied in a firm voice.

_'Thank Merlin,'_ James thought, _'even if I could understand if Inu did such a thing to avenge Harry. He'd do anything for his twin brothers.'_

_'And for the family,'_ a small voice reminded him from the back of his mind.

HP

Only in the evening, right before they had to head to the atrium for dinner, did James get a chance to speak with Inu about the matter. "Did you cast a spell at Dumbledore to make him a Squib?" he asked the canine.

Inu merely looked at him from large, brown eyes, before he proceeded to lick his right hand with fervour.

"You're a good doggy, aren't you?" James asked in a soft voice.

Inu nodded, before he once again looked up at him, trust clearly displayed in the canine's eyes.

"I understand that you wished to avenge Harry, but in the future, please don't cast dark spells at people who are not outright evil," James added, causing Inu to nod again and give him a comforting woof of promise.

HP

Ambrosius Malfoy was a Squib – or that was at least what his father and grandfather had told him. He was 25 years old, of tall stature and had silver eyes and white hair. The family had been living in the suburbs of Sydney ever after his grandfather, Septimus Malfoy, had immigrated from Britain. Ambrosius was a student of Biology at the university and was just in the middle of making plans for a year abroad to study in Japan. All of a sudden, however, he began to feel strange. It was as if his brain was splitting. He could feel another presence in his mind, even if he could neither place it nor find any explanation for this abnormality.

That was until one day, a voice spoke directly into his mind.

'Hello, I am Lucius Malfoy, and from now on, you're going to do as I tell you.'

'What?' Ambrosius thought back, incredulously. 'Who are you to command me?'

'I am your better, as I'm a wizard and not a miserable Squib like you and your branch of the family,' the voice replied, firmly.

_'Who in the world is Lucius Malfoy?'_ Ambrosius wondered. He had never heard that name before.

From that time onwards, his life went downhill. At first, he only noticed that he could not remember what he had been doing during the last hour or two; however, the blanks were getting larger by the week, and he more often found himself in places, which he did not even know let alone how he got there in the first place.

He even toyed with the thought of visiting a psychiatrist; however, afraid that no one would believe him anyway, he quickly dismissed the idea.

HP

This year, the Christmas holidays proved to be extremely eventful.

In the morning of Christmas Eve, the headline of the Daily Prophet shouted in red letters.

**_'Dumbledore acting as headmaster – Molly Noname teaching Transfiguration classes'_**

The explanation followed swiftly.

_'Concerned parents from students attending Hogwarts have reported that ever since the beginning of the current school year, Molly Noname has been teaching the Transfiguration classes, while Albus Dumbledore has been taking the position of the acting headmaster. Four years ago, the Wizengamot had deemed him unfitting as headmaster and had dismissed him from the position. Parents are now wondering what the school is doing. Read more about Dumbledore's trial in front of the Wizengamot on page 5…'_

"Don't you think that it's slowly time to interfere at Hogwarts?" Minerva spoke up, giving Lily and James a questioning look.

"I've already begun to make plans," James admitted; "however, I'd like to wait for about two more years, provided that Dumbledore and his minions don't do anything too stupid."

"That reminds me of something," Arcturus spoke up from Minerva's side. "As they didn't manage to come here on the kids' birthday as planned, I've invited my colleagues Raros and Mento for Christmas dinner, and they've both accepted. Please be kind, Sirius."

Rolling his eyes in apparent annoyance, Sirius promised, "I will. As long as Raros is not the hag of my mother, I'm good."

Now it was his grandfather's turn to roll his eyes. "It's not," he repeated what he had already told Sirius many months ago.

"Thank Merlin," Sirius replied, just when Narcissa let out a loud gasp.

"What's wrong?" Minerva asked in apparent concern.

"Buckbean just sent me a message that Ambrosius Malfoy has made an appointment with him to take over the lordship of the Malfoy family on the 27th of December and asks if I wish to join them together with Draco," Narcissa explained, pensively.

"Leave Draco here," Arcturus instructed her.

"I think so, too," Minerva agreed. "Just ask Andromeda to accompany you."

Narcissa nodded. "I hope she can get away from home on the twenty-seventh."

"If not, I'll gladly accompany you," Severus offered, causing Narcissa to smile.

"Thanks Sev," she said, gratefully.

Lily absentmindedly listened to the conversation that drifted between several topics, deeply engrossed in her own thoughts.

Severus and Lily had managed to brew a version of the cure, which they deemed successful. However, only after administering the potion to Alice and Frank they would know if it really worked. They had agreed with head healer O'Brien and Augusta Longbottom to join the old lady for her usual visit at the hospital on Christmas Day. In the presence of Healer O'Brien, Severus would then administer the potion to their friends. Lily was still going through an internal fight. On the one hand, she would prefer to give Alice the potion herself; however, on the other hand, in case it would not work as planned, she might prefer if someone else had given her friend the potion. '_Oh well, I still have until tomorrow, before I'll have to decide,'_ she consoled herself.

HP

Right after breakfast, Augusta addressed Lily. "Lily, I think we need to tell Neville now, just in case Alice and Frank will be healed tomorrow."

Lily immediately agreed and ushered Harry and Neville into their own room, accompanied by Augusta, James and Inu.

"I need to tell you a story," she began to speak and explained the story of four friends, two couples. "Each of them had a baby, but one of the couples had a doggy, and the other didn't. Now, when evil wizards attacked the two families, one was protected by the doggy, who saved their lives, and the other was unprotected. The baby survived unharmed, but the parents were badly injured. Thus, the healthy parents of the protected family took the baby in, when his parents were taken to St. Mungo's to recover.

The two children were hanging on her lips, and from Harry's expression, it was evident that he knew what the story was about, while Neville was just listening with apparent interest.

"The doggy is Inu," Harry suddenly spoke up, solemnly. "He's a hero."

Neville's eyes widened in shock and after a short while of absolute silence spoke up. "The baby. Is that me?"

"Yes Neville," Augusta confirmed, gently pulling the eight-year-old onto her lap. "Lily and James are your and Harry's parents, but they're not your birth parents. Your birth parents are Frank and Alice, and they're at St. Mungo's. Lily and Uncle Severus have developed a potion that might cure them, which is why we're telling you this now. While Lily and James will always be your parents, if Frank and Alice recover, they will want to be your parents, too."

"And Harry's and Inu's too?" Neville enquired in a firm voice. "'Cause they're my twins."

"Of course dear," Augusta confirmed, while Inu rose onto his hind paws to gently lick Neville's face.

"Now Neville, we don't know if the potion will work and Alice and Frank will be healed tomorrow," Lily spoke up in a soft voice.

"It's okay Mum," Neville replied, smiling a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Thanks for trying anyway."

Lily smiled, gently placing a kiss onto the boy's forehead. "Always son. If it doesn't work, we'll continue trying."

Lily, James and Augusta decided to take the trio, Dorea and Charlus somewhere for the day, where they could remain just with the closest family to give Neville time to adjust but also to allow him to freely speak about the matter without having his friends listening in.

"How about a trip to Dublin to look at the Christmas decorations?" Lily suggested, and Augusta and James immediately agreed.

Lily realised that – noticing that everything was as normal as it could be – Neville soon returned to his usual, cheery self, and the five children including Inu enjoyed themselves a lot. They only returned to the MAMA shortly before the Yule Ball was going to commence.

HP

On Christmas morning, the students, who had remained at the school for the Yule Ball, returned home via Portkeys or Floo.

Minerva let out a relieved sigh. "As much as I'm happy to see them coming every time, I'm always glad to see them gone for a while."

Everyone fully agreed, and the extended family enjoyed a quiet breakfast in the atrium. While the adults talked over a few cups of tea, the children busied themselves opening their Christmas presents, accompanied by the occasional shout of pleasure.

As the time passed, Lily could not help getting more and more excited.

"Shall we get over it?" Severus finally asked, giving her and Augusta a questioning look.

To Lily's relief, Augusta immediately agreed, and the three excused themselves to travel to St. Mungo's.

"I'll accompany you," Poppy spoke up and swiftly followed them to the fireplace.

HP

Lily was glad to have Poppy with them, as she immediately went to fetch Healer O'Brien, who greeted them with a broad smile.

"Thank you so much for coming and trying to heal the Longbottoms," he said, lightly bowing his head in the direction of Lily and Severus.

Lily returned a smile, which did not reach her eyes. "I just hope that it'll work," she replied, inwardly sighing.

"Thank you, Healer O'Brien, for taking time for us, especially on Christmas morning," Augusta greeted the Healer.

"It is my pleasure," the healer replied. "I couldn't imagine a better Christmas present than to see two young people cured from a horrible illness. Shall we go and see if we shall be granted our wish?"

It was still early in the morning, and they did not meet anyone on their way through the hospital. Lily inwardly sighed in relief, when Poppy offered to administer the potions; however, her relief soon made place for horror upon seeing her best friend's condition. Even if she had known about it and spent years of research into the matter, she had never accompanied Augusta to the hospital and it was still a shock to see her friend like this. _'I just hope it'll work,'_ she thought, as she remained a little aside, together with Severus, when Poppy and Augusta stepped over to Frank's side.

Poppy administered the potion, and Lily observed in excitement what happened – only to realise in extreme disappointment that nothing happened at all. While Poppy and Healer O'Brien waved their wands over the patient, Frank's condition did not visibly change.

"It didn't work," Severus voiced her fear, his voice void of emotion; however, Lily knew that he was as disappointed as herself.

She almost could not believe it, when Healer O'Brien suggested trying the potion on Alice. "There's still a chance that it might work, as her condition is slightly different from Frank's," the healer informed them, causing Lily to stare from Severus to the healer with a small spark of hope.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Longbottoms and Malfoys"._


	22. Longbottoms and Malfoys

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

Unable to watch the scene only to be heartbrokenly disappointed again, Lily buried her face in Severus' chest, relieved when her friend comfortingly laid his arm around her shoulders.

However, she quickly turned around upon hearing a voice, which she had not heard in seven years.

"Neville? Where's my baby?" Alice shouted, frantically.

_'Thank Merlin, it worked at least for Alice,_' she thought in relief. "Alice!" she blurted out and dashed over to where her best friend was sitting on her bed, frantically looking around.

"Lily," Alice said in recognition. "Where's Neville?"

"He's safe at home with Harry," Lily replied, smiling, before she pulled her friend into a bear's hug.

Absentmindedly listening, when Poppy explained to Alice what had happened more than seven years ago, Lily observed how Severus conferred with the head healer, who cast a series of diagnostic spells at Frank.

Finally, Healer O'Brien spoke up. "Mrs. Longbottom, I'm sorry," he apologized to Alice. "I don't have a clue why the potion did not work for your husband. Rest assured that we'll do our best to assess his condition and to closely work together with Mrs. Potter and Mr. Snape to cure him as well. You are free to go, however, provided that you have somewhere to go?"

Seeing Alice cast Augusta a questioning look, Lily hurried to speak. "Mrs. Longbottom will live with her mother-in-law, her son and us at our school."

"I want to see Neville," Alice blurted out, "even if he's… what? Eight? I can't believe it," she added, tears leaking from her eyes. "A few minutes ago, he still was a baby."

"Alice," Augusta spoke up in a firm voice. "First of all, Neville is fine. Secondly, however, Neville has so-far grown up believing that Harry was his twin and James and Lily his parents. Only yesterday, we've told the boys the truth and have assured them that – provided that the potion worked – they were going to have two mothers and two fathers. This won't be easy for you I suppose…" She slowly trailed off.

"That's fine," Alice replied, smiling at Lily. "Thanks so much for taking care of him. I only ask that I'll be allowed to be their mum, too."

"Always," Lily promised, returning the smile. "Now, let's go home." Seeing that Alice cast her husband a hesitating look, she added in a soft voice, "There's nothing that you can do for Frank right now."

"I'll come back to see you in a few days' time," a teary-eyed Alice told her husband, before she hesitantly followed Lily and the others out of the room, in which she had unwillingly spent the last seven years.

HP

Back at the manor, Lily offered Alice an empty room within their own, private quarters, and Alice gratefully accepted, before the two women went in search for their sons.

They found Harry and Neville out on the grounds, where they were deeply engrossed in a snowball fight with their siblings and friends.

_'It must be so awkward for Alice, who only remembered Neville as a baby and her own baby at that,_' Lily thought, feeling deeply sorry for her best friend, while, at the same time, she was extremely happy to have Alice back. _'Oh well, she might never be the Alice she was at Hogwarts again,'_ she mused, glad that James introduced Alice to the children. _'She'll make a good addition to our extended family though. We need to offer her some teaching position though to occupy herself and distract her from the fact that Neville is not only her child and that Frank hasn't been cured yet. Oh well, we can discuss this at dinner time together with Minerva and the others,'_ she decided.

HP

When Lily, James and Alice entered the atrium for Christmas dinner, however, two Unspeakables, who had arrived together with Arcturus, attracted all the attention.

Harry observed how Arcturus unobtrusively waved his hand around the room, wondering what spell the old wizard had cast. He should not have to wait long for an explanation though.

"Don't worry, you won't have to swear a wizard's oath to keep the identity of my colleagues to yourselves," Arcturus spoke up, smirking, as he admitted, "I've placed all of you under a respective charm."

"So are you now going to reveal yourselves?" Sirius asked, impatiently, causing Harry to chuckle. Of course, he knew Raros and Mento, as both Unspeakables were team colleagues of Ra and the Mini Unspeakables.

"Harry, will you introduce us?" Raros addressed him, and Harry agreed, eagerly.

"This is Regulus Black, and this is Fabian Prewitt," he introduced the two wizards, whom he liked a lot. Both of them were very friendly and always ready to answer Hermione's never-ending questions.

"You fucker," Sirius blurted out and was immediately scolded by Uncle Remus and Granny Minerva. "Why in the world did you pretend to be dead?"

"Because Voldemort would have killed me otherwise," Regulus replied, matter-of-factly. "He was aware of the fact that I knew about his Horcruxes. I suppose that you've heard about them."

"Yeah," Sirius admitted. "Grandfather told us all about it."

"Hello Uncle Fabian…"

"… it's nice to finally get to know you," Fred and George addressed Fabian, making Harry realise that his team colleague was the older twins' uncle.

Finally, everyone noticed Alice, and Christmas dinner slowly turned into a celebration party, as all the adults hugged and congratulated her in apparent happiness.

"I hope we can sit down and have dinner soon," Neville whispered to him, and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Can we have dinner now…"

"… We're hungry," they hesitantly spoke up.

"Me too," Dorea added in a firm voice.

"We're going to have dinner now," Granny Minerva promised and tapped her wand against the table for the house-elves to serve dinner.

HP

When it was bedtime for the children, Alice accompanied Lily to their private rooms.

"Did you know Fabian and Regulus?" Lily asked, surprised that Harry had introduced the two Unspeakables to the family.

"They're our team mates…"

"… and they're really nice," the twins replied, grinning.

Noticing that Alice cast her a questioning look, Lily explained that the twins and their four best friends were all Mini Unspeakables.

"Wow, that's fantastic," Alice replied in apparent amazement. "I wonder if I should return to the Aurors, considering that Neville is in good hands and I'm not really needed here."

Lily shook her head. "Don't do that," she spoke up, smiling. "We're happy to have you here, and you could teach at the MAMA. We're still lacking a professor for Ancient Runes, and we also thought about introducing Latin as an elective subject. So far, Remus has been teaching it, but I think he's only waiting to be able to solely concentrate of Care of Magical Creatures. Do you think you could teach one of these?"

"Latin," Alice replied, thoughtfully. "Yes, I think that should work," she added, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Stay here with us, Mum…"

"… Everyone's really nice here," the twins told her, causing Alice to smile.

"Thank you, Harry and Neville," she replied, seemingly happy.

HP

Only when Lily and Alice entered the parlour, to where the extended family had retreated, she noticed that they had another visitor.

"Healer O'Brien," Lily spoke up in surprise. "Do you have any news?"

The head healer of St. Mungo's gave her a sharp look. "We've been conducting multiple tests on Frank Longbottom, and we believe that it might work if you gave him another dose of the potion. Of course, we can't guarantee that it'll work, but I believe that the chances are good. Do you perhaps have another dose of the potion?"

"We don't," Severus spoke up; "however, we can easily brew another dose tomorrow. It should be ready by dinner time."

"That's all I can ask for," the healer replied, smiling.

"Does that mean that Frank will probably be cured by tomorrow evening?" Alice spoke up, hope clearly written in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Longbottom, but we don't know that for sure. We can't make promises. We can only try and see if it'll work," Healer O'Brien replied, sombrely.

"Thank you for trying in any case," Alice replied in a soft voice.

HP

First thing in the morning, Lily and Severus retreated to the potions lab to brew another dose of the concoction that had cured Alice.

In the meantime, James and Sirius took Alice on a tour through the school. When they crossed the park to show her the greenhouses, they heard the children talk behind one of the greenhouses, even if they could not see them.

"Neville and Harry, how do you feel suddenly having two mothers?" a female voice enquired.

"Somehow it's strange to call her Mum…"

"… although she's really nice," two boys' voices replied, slowly.

_'Neville and Harry,'_ Alice thought, inwardly sighing. _'They're good boys, but it's sad to see that Neville doesn't need me at all. I wished that Frank was with me at least.'_

"She is nice, and I hope that they'll be able to cure her husband, too," another girl's voice added.

_'Hopefully,'_ Alice thought, grimly. _'It's really nice of Lily and Severus to try so hard. I just hope it'll work.'_ Even if she felt ungrateful, she couldn't prevent herself from thinking, _'Why did it work on me and not on him? It's unfair. I need him here.'_

HP

To everyone's relief, when Poppy administered the next dose of the cure to Frank in the evening, it worked, and the former Auror's mind returned to awareness.

"Where are we?" he asked in confusion, looking at Poppy, Lily, Severus, Healer O'Brien and finally to her, questioningly. "Where's Neville?"

"He's together with Harry," Alice replied in a soothing voice.

She inwardly sighed in relief, when Healer O'Brien explained everything to her husband. She contented herself to lean against him, unable to prevent herself from crying, when Frank gently pulled her close.

She and Frank spent the rest of the evening with Augusta in their room at the MAMA. At first, Harry and Neville joined the Longbottoms together with Inu, however, it was almost bedtime for the eight-year-olds.

Augusta once again described in detail what Healer O'Brien had shortly explained to Frank earlier.

When the children as well as Augusta had retired to bed, Alice finally allowed her emotions to run free and sobbed into Frank's chest.

"You must think that I'm ungrateful," she sobbed. "I'm so happy to have you back, but I have the feeling that we've lost Neville. He's neither a baby anymore nor our son."

Frank soothingly rubbed her back like he had done many times before during the war.

"He seems to be a very happy boy," he said in a soothing voice, "and he's still our son. It must be awkward for him to call us Mum and Dad, considering that that's what he calls Lily and James. I'll suggest to him to just call us by our given names." He remained pensive for a moment, before he continued, "As to him not being a baby anymore, we can have another baby or even more if that's what you want."

Alice looked up at her husband, giving him a small smile. "Thanks Frank," she replied, as he gently wiped a tear from her cheek. "You're the best."

HP

While the Longbottoms spent the morning in their private rooms trying to get used to their new situation with the help of the Potters and their children, Narcissa and Andromeda made their way to Gringotts.

This time, one of the goblins led them straight to Buckbean's office, where Narcissa's account manager was waiting together with a man, who had an uncanny resemblance to her former husband.

No one, not even Narcissa noticed that an invisible Arcturus followed them into the room, carrying an equally invisible Inu in his arm.

"Ms. Black and Ms. Black-Tonks," Buckbean greeted them, introducing them to his visitor at the same time. "This is Ambrosius Malfoy, a cousin of your late husband," he added, introductory.

"Mr. Malfoy," Narcissa acknowledged the man, who returned a respectful greeting. He extremely reminded her of Lucius, even if he kept his blonde hair in a short cut. Nevertheless, he was unmistakably a Malfoy.

"As I told you before, Mr. Malfoy is here to accept the lordship over the Malfoy family," Buckbean explained, only to add, "It's now up to the ring for the head of the Malfoy family if it will accept Mr. Ambrosius Malfoy as its wearer."

_'Oh Merlin, I hope it won't accept him,'_ Narcissa thought, feverishly, as she observed how Buckbean took the ring, which she had seen on her husband's finger for a long time, out of a small, black box.

She felt anger in a combination with fear, when Ambrosius Malfoy carefully placed the ring onto his ring finger and began to swear his oath. Her anger quickly turned into horror, when a golden glow engulfed the new Lord Malfoy.

"Congratulations Lord Malfoy," Buckbean spoke up, although Narcissa had the impression that the goblin was not happy to greet the stranger as the new head of the Malfoy family.

_'We should have integrated the Malfoy family into the Black family years ago,'_ she thought. _'However, we couldn't know that there was a branch of the family that suddenly became active.'_ From the corner of her eyes, she noticed a movement at the far side of the room, where to her surprise, an Unspeakable together with Inu appeared seemingly out of nothing. _'If he's together with Inu, it can only be Arcturus, Regulus or Fabian,'_ she realised in relief.

Inu immediately stood in front of the new lord and began to bark and growl at the man.

"Buckbean," the Unspeakable spoke up, and the goblin nodded in his direction, making Narcissa suspect that the goblin had been fully aware of the Unspeakable's presence in his room. "I am Unspeakable Ra, and I request that the goblins allow me to question Lord Malfoy under Veritaserum."

HP

Arcturus had observed the scene with a combination of interest and disgust. However, when the ring indeed accepted the man as the new Lord of the Malfoy family, he revealed himself – just like previously agreed with Buckbean. No wizard or witch, who was not an Unspeakable, was aware of the fact that Buckbean was working for the Unspeakables as well, and he always cooperated with the Unspeakables.

"You cannot just question me under Veritaserum," the Malfoy head protested; however, without further discussing the matter, Buckbean pressed a button on his table, and two goblins entered the room, whom he instructed to administer one dose of Veritaserum to his guest.

"Unspeakable Ra, you're free to question Lord Malfoy," Buckbean turned to him, as soon as the goblins had apparently spelled the potion into the man's system.

Arcturus turned to the stranger. "What is your name?" he enquired.

"Lucius Malfoy," the man replied, causing everyone in the room to let out a collective gasp.

"Did the Aurors not put you through the Veil?" Arcturus enquired.

"They did."

"How did you manage to be alive at this time then?"

"I previously made Horcruxes and used one of them," Lucius replied, making not only himself but everyone in the room groan in horror.

_'Horcruxes. Plural,'_ Arcturus thought, sharing everyone else's emotion concerning the matter.

He asked a couple more questions, making Malfoy reveal how his soul had travelled to Australia, possessing one or the other animal on his way, where he had possessed the body of Ambrosius Malfoy. Since his host was a Squib, it had been easy to finally overcome him and gain the body for himself.

However, when Arcturus asked what objects he had used for his Horcruxes and where they were hidden, Malfoy could not give a proper response.

"You don't know?" Arcturus asked, incredulously. "Did you obliviate yourself?"

"Yes," Lucius admitted, smugly.

"Buckbean, could you perhaps call Alastor Moody here, considering that the new Lord Malfoy just admitted being a wanted criminal?" Andromeda spoke up in a firm voice.

However, Arcturus knew better. The goblins would never interfere in a matter of human wizards and witches. He only nodded his understanding, when Buckbean declined.

Lucius Malfoy was free to go, and while they knew that he had made multiple Horcruxes, which were hidden in the park belonging to Malfoy Manor, they had no idea what objects they were or where they were hidden within the large area belonging to the dark family.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Friends and foes"._


	23. Friends and foes

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

* * *

In the morning of New Year's Eve, Alastor Moody visited the MAMA.

"Together with a team of Aurors, we've tried to enter the Malfoy grounds in an attempt to search for Lucius Malfoy's Horcruxes," he explained to the extended family. "However, the idiot must have warded the premises against everyone. At least none of us were able to get in," he added in apparent frustration.

"Of course, that's how my former husband works," Narcissa spoke up, grimly, "especially as he knows that the matter of his Horcruxes in common knowledge now."

"I thought," the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement continued, "that maybe your Dog Hero would be willing to try entering the grounds and look for the Horcruxes. We've already made a plan and have found a spot, where he could easily slip through the fence. Invisibly of course," he added. "I'm sure that he would be able to easily sniff out the Horcruxes and bring them to us."

Inu, who was lying half-asleep under Harry's chair, looked up. =Tell him I can do that,= he spoke up.

However, Harry was not willing to translate. "No," he replied to the old Auror in a firm voice. "I don't want to endanger Inu like this."

'_My baby is growing up,'_ Lily thought in amazement, as Harry stood up for his familiar.

Inu rose from the floor and, placing his front paws onto Harry's lap, gently licked the boy's face in apparent gratitude.

"I see," Moody replied in understanding. "The only other way would be to destroy the whole place with Fiendfyre."

"Then do so," James spoke up. "You heard what Harry said, and we all agree with him."

"Mrs. Black," Moody turned to Narcissa. "Do you have any remaining belongings at the manor?"

Narcissa shook her head. "No, I haven't, and even if I had, I wouldn't be able to go there and pick them up anyway. Please thoroughly extinguish the place, provided that any possible Horcruxes will be destroyed by Fiendfyre."

"They will," Moody informed her. "Very well then, we'll do what we must." With that, he excused himself and stepped into the fireplace.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Narcissa," Harry spoke up, sadly.

"No Harry," Narcissa replied, smiling. "There's no reason for you to be sorry. I wouldn't want to endanger Inu either, and I don't mind the place being burnt down."

HP

On New Year's morning, the headline of the Daily Prophet shouted '_Malfoy Manor completely destroyed by Fiendfyre'._

_'Last night, Malfoy Manor was completely burnt to the ground by Fiendfyre. The circumstances are not clear yet, neither is the question if the new Lord Malfoy, an immigrant from Australia, was inside the manor at the time of the fire. However, we will keep you updated.'_

"Oh, I so much hope that he was at home at that time," Narcissa spoke up, letting out a deep sigh.

"The only way to find out might be if Draco tried to gain the lordship," Sirius quipped.

"Definitely not," Narcissa replied, glaring at her cousin.

"The Unspeakables have gone to investigate first thing in the morning," Minerva explained, causing the Mini Unspeakables to glare at the headmistress.

"Granny Minerva…"

"… why didn't Ra take us with him?" the twins asked, indignantly, causing Inu to add a woof of consent.

"I suppose that he didn't want to endanger you," James replied in a firm voice.

"We wouldn't have allowed you to go anyway," Lily added, soothingly.

"We're Mini Unspeakables…"

"… to work together with our team," the twins replied, seemingly upset.

"I wouldn't have wanted you to go either," six-year-old Dorea spoke up, grimly. "Can we go flying?"

"Let's do that," Sirius agreed and suggested, "How about a match kids versus adults?"

When the party of children and adult wizards had left under thunderous noise, the women let out sighs of relief, before they decided to enjoy their quiet time with another cup of tea.

HP

The Longbottoms slowly became used to living at the MAMA, and from January onwards, Frank began to take over from Remus as the Ancient Runes professor, so that Remus was able to fully concentrate on his Care of Magical Creature classes.

The former werewolf was glad to have more time to actually care for the slowly growing number of magical beasts on the grounds – especially as the winged horses decided to have foals early in spring.

In contrary to Frank, who could simply work according to Remus' diligently compiled lesson plans, Alice had to completely plan out the new Latin classes. She began in a slower pace to work on lesson plans for her classes, which would only commence at the beginning of the new school year – much to her relief.

Nevertheless, Harry, Neville and Lily were glad to have the Longbottom parents occupied, so that the twins were not in the main spotlight anymore. Both children as well as Inu were polite and friendly towards Alice and Frank; however, they had readily accepted Frank's suggestion to call them by their given names.

Alice was not outright happy about the situation, however, knew that there was nothing that she could do about it but feel glad for Neville that he had found new parents, while she and Frank were incapacitated. Moreover, she soon felt that she was pregnant again and consoled herself by the prospect of having another baby soon.

During her free times, when the rest of the extended family was teaching or attending classes and Lily was busy with her potions research, she made it a habit to visit Merlin in his portrait in front of the staff room. Thankfully, someone had placed a very comfortable sofa in front of the portrait, so that she could spend hours talking with the ancient wizard. To her surprise, Merlin did not only show understanding for her situation, but was able to give her ideas and comfort for her new life with her new, extended family as well as for the Latin classes.

She also found a good friend in Emma and often visited her in the library that usually only became busy after the end of the classes.

HP

Arthur Weasley was a very happy man. He was glad to be divorced from Molly and free to do as he wished, although he thoroughly enjoyed having five of his seven children at the MAMA with him.

_'I can't believe that Bill is already going to finish school next summer,' _he thought, feeling very proud of the boy, as Minerva and his colleagues had decided to make Bill head boy during the next school year. Afterwards, Bill was already hired as the Alchemy professor. _'He's going to be my colleague,'_ Arthur thought, proudly.

The twins were still mischief-makers; however, they spent much time developing their own prank potions under Severus Snape's and Lily Potter's tutelage, and they had their hearts on the right spot. Arthur could not help feeling proud of them. _'Oh well, they're going to be first-years soon,'_ he thought, feeling slightly relieved that the boys would not have as much time to plan mischief than they had now.

Charlie was very interested in animals and spent every free minute assisting Remus Lupin, and Percy busied himself assisting Andromeda Tonks.

While Arthur himself was teaching Arithmancy, he was still very interested in all kind of muggle things and had become good friends with Dan Granger and Regina's husband Blair. Both men spent much time teaching him a lot about muggle devices and objects like rubber ducks and personal computers. He in return could help them with advice and information concerning the magical world.

_'Molly really is a problem though, even if it's not exactly my problem,'_ he thought, _'being the headmistress of Hogwarts as a noname person is more than embarrassing. I'm surprised that the Board of Governors haven't kicked her out already. They must be extremely biased towards Albus. Oh well, perhaps I should write to Fabian and ask him to take her back into the Prewitt family.'_

He toyed with the idea for a few weeks, before he finally sat down and penned a letter to his former wife's brother.

_'Dear Fabian,  
thank you for allowing us at the MAMA to know that you are alive, a fact which I appreciate very much. _

_I hope that you do not mind me writing to you. I wish to ask you for a favour concerning your sister Molly, my former wife. I know that Molly can be an absolute nuisance, especially when she decides to write Howlers to people. Fortunately, our house-elves at the MAMA get rid of them, as they apparently still arrive on a daily basis. Nevertheless, I feel that it is my fault that she does not have a family name, and I feel sorry for it. May I humbly ask you to take her back into the Prewitt family? I believe that as an Unspeakable, you will know best how to conceal your identity from her even if you allow her that minimum of courtesy. If there is anything that I can do for you in return – apart from promising the Prewitt family the friendship of House Weasley as long as I live and Molly is not the head – please let me know.  
Arthur Weasley'_

_'I hope he'll accept her,'_ he thought and, after re-reading the letter once, pocketed the parchment. _'I'll ask little Harry to hand it to Fabian,'_ he resolved, uncertain if the letter would reach the Unspeakable if sent by owl.

HP

Harry looked up at the older wizard in surprise, when Arthur Weasley cornered him after dinner and asked him to deliver a letter to his colleague Fabian.

"All right. I'll do so right away," he promised, as he accepted the parchment, and – without considering that no one was supposed to know that he could simply pop himself into the Ministry of Magic from anywhere – popped himself right into the room of Team 5 in the Unspeakables' office to look for his colleagues.

Ever since the Mini Unspeakables had taken up their jobs, Devil had taught them to apparate the Unspeakables' way, which was similar to the elves' popping and worked even in areas that were under Apparition wards like the Ministry of Magic. Harry felt extremely happy that he had recently managed to pop for the first time and was glad about any opportunity to use it.

_'Thank Merlin they're in the team room,'_ he thought in relief, only now realising that he had forgotten to put on his robes before popping.

"Fabian, I have a letter for you from Arthur Weasley," he informed the older wizard, who nodded and pocketed the parchment without even looking at it.

"Thank you, Harry," Fabian replied, smiling.

"Is something wrong?" Harry enquired upon noticing his colleagues' stern expressions.

"No, we were just trying to track two of the remaining Death Eaters, but they seem to be hiding well," Arcturus informed him, letting out a deep sigh.

"Perhaps you should have asked Malfoy before burning down his place," Harry quipped, causing his teammates to glare at him.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Regulus replied, grimly. "We don't even know if he's really dead," he added. "He might have been in hiding somewhere, as the Aurors would have been able to find him at the manor."

Harry shrugged. "Oh well, Draco is already nine, but he's still not going to take up the lordship to find out if he's dead," he stated, matter-of-factly, before he bade the older wizards good night and popped back home.

HP

When Harry popped up on his own bed, he realised without much surprise that all the other children, who were not MAMA students and as such spending the evenings in the common rooms yet, were gathered in his, Inu's and Neville's bedroom practising the Animagus transformation. Only recently, Draco and Neville had managed to transform their left hands and were now trying to change their right hands, while everyone else was still stuck at the first step.

Harry, as a natural Animagus, had much less problems than everyone else and was already able to change his whole body except for his head into his phoenix form. No one but Neville and Inu knew about the matter though, as he had not wanted to stand out and frustrate everyone else even more. Therefore, he only feigned trying to change his left hand, when everyone else was together. Only when the trio retired to their own room just by themselves did he actually practise.

Tonight however, he decided to feign enthusiasm, as he changed his left hand, causing everyone to cheer for him and applaud.

"Well done, twin," Neville supplied, grinning.

"Ahh, soon everyone but us…"

"… will be able to transform," the Weasley twins sighed, tragically.

"Although it would be so convenient…"

"… to be able to change into our Animagi forms…"

"… before becoming students here."

"Excuse me," Hermione spoke up, giving the older twins a doubtful look, "what use would your parrot forms have during class time?"

"Ah that…" the twins replied, simultaneously, only to continue in their way of speaking that was identical to Harry's and Neville's.

"You must know…"

"… that we've reconsidered…"

"… and decided to become phoenixes, too…"

"…. a few months ago…"

"… That would easily give us opportunities…"

"… to get away and join you…"

"… or do mischief…"

"… all over the MAMA," they finished together.

"Good luck then," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes in annoyance at their way of speaking.

"I have a question," Susan spoke up. "Did you get your way of speaking from Harry and Neville, or did they get it from you?"

Everyone laughed, however, observed the two couples of twins with apparent interest. The four boys exchanged a look, before they replied.

"No idea," Fred and George said, shrugging.

"… But we had much time to practise," Harry and Neville added, grinning.

"What kind of phoenixes are you going to become?" Christa spoke up with apparent interest.

Harry smiled, knowing that Christa wanted to become an ice phoenix with white feathers and light pink back feathers, while he was practising to transform into a water phoenix. His feathers were different shades of blue and green, and he loved it.

"Oh well, you still have the whole summer holidays to practise," he said, pleasantly.

"I can't wait to be able to transform, too," Hermione agreed. "Let's practise on a daily basis during the holidays."

Everyone voiced their agreement, just before Lily entered the room and threw everyone out.

"Good night everyone. It's time for you to go to bed," she said in a firm voice that everyone knew to obey instantly.

HP

During the leaving feast, which Harry and Neville spent sitting with some of their friends who had to return home the following morning, Inu suddenly left his spot between Harry's feet and dashed away in a fast speed, causing the twins to turn around and look after him in surprise.

Inu ran straight towards the second-years' table and – to everyone's shock – began to fervently attack Percy Weasley. Only his classmates sitting nearby could see that his attack rather concentrated on the boy's robe pocket than on Percy himself. Before they could interfere, however, the boy's rat familiar got out of Percy's robe pocket and fled, apparently running for its life, as Inu was closely following it.

'Inu, what's wrong? Come back here,' Harry thought to his familiar, although he knew for a fact that Inu would not attack anyone if not for a reason.

'That rat's evil,' Inu replied, promptly, and Harry observed how he chased the rat all over the atrium, before the rat managed to slip through a small gap in a slightly open window, causing Inu to remain in front of the window, growling.

'Inu, come back here,' Harry thought to him, and the dog obediently returned to Harry and placed something small into his hand. It was a complete rat foot – apart from two toes that were missing.

=Please tell Percy that I'm sorry, but that the rat is evil,= Inu woofed to Harry, who made his way to the second-years' table to inform the older boy.

"Why would Scabbers be evil?" Percy protested, crossly. "He's my familiar."

"I'm really sorry, but that I don't know," Harry replied, apologetically. _'I just hope the rat is going to stay away from here now,'_ he thought.

HP

During the following few days, Percy's rat did not return, and Harry promised the boy to buy him a new familiar if the rat did not come back during the holidays.

"Thanks Harry, I appreciate it, but if possible, I want Scabbers back," Percy replied, glaring at Inu, who completely ignored the boy in favour of a huge bone, which he was professionally holding with his front paws.

"Percy, you heard what Inu said," Arthur Weasley spoke up in a strict voice. "I've no idea how a rat can be evil, but if Inu says that it's evil, it must be true. He is a very peaceful and intelligent dog, and he wouldn't attack if it wasn't absolutely rectified."

"Exactly," Minerva spoke up in apparent confidence.

"Inu," Remus suddenly entered the conversation, seemingly alert. "Could that rat be an Animagus?"

=Yes,= Inu confirmed, nodding his head for everyone to understand.

"Could he be Wormtail?" Remus asked, turning to James and Sirius.

"Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus form," Sirius growled before asking, "James, is the manor not warded against him?"

"How long did you have that rat?" Lily enquired, giving Arthur a sharp look. "Seven and a half years?"

"Yes," Arthur admitted, seemingly horrified, when James rose from his chair and headed to his office to adjust the wards.

HP

Later the same day, while Lily took Percy, Harry, Neville and Inu to the magical menagerie to buy a new pet for Percy, Arthur finally received a response from Fabian Prewitt. He unfolded the parchment with apprehension.

_'Dear Arthur,  
thank you for writing to me and offering me a deal. I will allow Molly back into the family, however, under one __condition._

_'Condition?'_ Arthur thought, horrified, as he hurried to read on.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Deals"._


	24. Deals

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

_'Dear Arthur,_ Fabian's letter began,_  
'thank you for writing to me and offering me a deal. I will allow Molly back into the family, however, under one condition. _

_When Gideon died in the fight against Voldemort, I was, in fact, badly injured, and I will never be able to have any children of my own. Therefore, I ask you to allow me to make your twins my heirs. They will be able to share the position just like Gideon and I did until he died. My sister may carry the name but will never be allowed any position in House Prewitt.  
This is my condition, and I as well promise House Weasley the support and friendship of the Prewitt family.  
Best regards  
Lord Prewitt'_

_'Of course, he can't display his complete name in something such as a letter,' _Arthur thought in understanding, as he let the letter sink onto the table in front of him, before his mind fully comprehended the content of the message. _'The twins?'_ he thought with a combination of disbelief and shock.

"Arthur, is something wrong?" Minerva enquired in apparent concern.

"No, not really wrong," Arthur admitted. "It's just surprising." Knowing that they were alone with the extended family, while Lily and the trio were at Diagon Alley and Sirius had taken the other children out onto the grounds flying, he quickly explained the matter to his colleagues whom he had come to consider family.

"The twins are good boys," Severus was the first to speak up. "As much mischief as they do, they're extremely responsible in spite of their young age."

"Lily says so, too," James added.

"I believe that Fabian has made a good choice," Minerva agreed, smiling.

"Thanks for your opinions. I'll agree to Fabian's conditions then," Arthur decided, feeling very much reassured how his colleagues had spoken about the twins.

HP

While his mother apparated Percy to a side street of Diagon Alley, Harry cradled Inu close and popped after her, while Neville did the same. A few minutes later, they entered the Magical Menagerie.

"Inu, you have to keep close to my side," Harry warned his familiar. "We're not going to buy any animals for us, only for Percy."

After receiving an indignant woof, they entered the shop.

"Percy, please choose whatever you like, as long as it's not dangerous," Lily instructed Percy, who nodded and looked around, wide-eyed.

They checked out the feline section for a while – much to Inu's annoyance, which the canine voiced by growling at several of the kittens.

"I better choose an owl," Percy finally said, smirking. "Otherwise, Inu will once again chase my familiar away."

"You wouldn't, would you?" Harry spoke up, ready to defend his familiar.

=If it's family, I wouldn't chase it,= Inu replied in a firm voice. =Only if it's a criminal like that awful rat.=

Harry quickly translated, and Percy nodded in understanding. "Thanks," he said, "but I'll still decide on an owl." He pointed to a snowy white owl that was sitting on the top of an open door.

"She's beautiful," Lily agreed, smiling.

_'How uninteresting,'_ Harry thought. _'We have enough owls at the school anyway.' _However, he knew better than to voice his thoughts and quietly observed how his mother and Percy chose several items that the older boy would need for his new pet, while Inu stood on his hind paws to come as close to the owl as possible to sniff its scent.

"I'll name her Hedwig," Percy announced, when they walked through the alley towards the Leaky Cauldron to take the Floo home. He was carrying a cage containing the owl, and Inu was walking in front of them as if to clear the way for the new pet.

HP

When the new school year began, the Weasley twins became first-years – much to the chagrin of Harry, Neville and Inu, as they had thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the older twins, even if they were busy with their Unspeakable training and Fred and George with assisting Severus and Lily in the potions lab.

One day, however, Fabian addressed Harry and Neville, unexpectedly. "What do you think of the Weasley twins?" he asked, taking the two boys aside.

"They're great fun…"

"… and great friends…"

"… and brilliant in the potions lab…"

"… and at playing pranks," the twins replied, grinning.

"Do you think they'd be interested in becoming Mini Unspeakables?" Fabian enquired.

Harry and Neville shrugged, exchanging a glance.

"They're sneaky enough…"

"… and people wouldn't believe them…"

"… to be Unspeakables," they finally replied.

"Thanks boys, I'll ask them then," Fabian replied in apparent determination.

"Now with these, we have ten Mini Unspeakables, and we won't accept any more, especially not in Team 5," Arcturus growled, when Fabian, Harry and Neville informed him about the matter.

"Perhaps, the twins don't even want to join us," Fabian replied, sighing, "however, as I made them my heirs, I'm interested in their training, and from what these twins here have told me, they surely have the potential to become valuable allies."

"That's fine," Arcturus said, calmingly. "Go ahead and ask them."

As Harry had expected, the older twins were ecstatic at the idea of becoming Mini Unspeakables, even if they did not have much time for training now that they were first-years, except during the weekends and school holidays.

HP

Albus Dumbledore was sitting behind the desk, where he had already spent many decades, staring at the fireplace in expectation, when the official headmistress stepped out.

"Hello Molly," he said, gently. "How did things go with the goblins?"

Molly let out a deep sigh. "Yes, I'm Molly Prewitt again," she admitted, casting him a small smile. "However, I still don't know who the Lord Prewitt is, and I was told that he only accepted me back into the family on Arthur's pleading. The worst of all is though," she paused to wipe a few errand tears from her cheek, "that my twins, the greatest trouble makers I've ever seen, are said to be his heirs. I suppose that that was one of Arthur's conditions to finish off the family as soon as possible."

"Now now, Molly," Albus said in a soothing voice, "perhaps the twins are not so bad at all. When you last saw them, they were six…"

"Four," Molly corrected him, grimly.

"Very well," Albus continued, "they were four, and now they must be ten or eleven. Perhaps they've improved a lot. Arthur is not so irresponsible."

"But as we know from the Daily Prophet, my oldest, Bill, is the head boy at their school," Molly protested. "They should have chosen him at the very least."

"Perhaps they had their reasons," Albus reasoned. "I don't have any information, but in case one of your twin brothers was still alive…"

"They aren't," Molly interrupted him, grimly.

"Well, if one of them was, he would be the Lord and could have demanded to make the twins his heirs. That we don't know. I really can't imagine who could be the Lord Prewitt."

"Oh well, we'll see," Molly replied, sighing deeply. "At least I have a family name now, even if no family."

"What about Ronald and Ginevra?" Albus enquired. "Aren't they fine children?"

"Yes, that they are," Molly agreed, nodding her head. "I just hope that they won't follow their older siblings' lead sooner or later."

"They won't," Albus said in a soothing voice, before he admitted, "I've seen to that by casting loyalty spells at both of them, when they were still babies."

Molly's eyes widened in surprise, and she let out a sigh of apparent relief, before she thanked him profusely.

_'Thank Merlin she doesn't know that I cast the same spell at all Hogwarts students, and that it doesn't make them loyal to her but to me,'_ he thought, once he left the office to head to the kitchen for some hot chocolate. _'I'll need to re-cast all spells though, as soon as my magic is as strong as it was before,'_ he recalled, glad that his magic was slowly recovering from whatever spell Sirius Black had probably cast at him.

HP

Regina felt outright happy. Just a few years ago, she had still believed to be a Squib, and now she was busily studying for her NEWTs together with the seventh-years, and she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

This morning, James Potter had taken her aside and asked if she was interested in a research position at the school, where she would work on combining muggle Biology studies with a magical background, and Regina was delighted at the idea. It was a completely new area that was not taught anywhere, and she would be able to work on it just by herself before finally teaching students. _'I can't wait,'_ she thought, as she recalled this morning's conversation.

Her husband was busying himself with his computer studies and had predicted that just a few years into the future, all teachers at the MAMA would be able to have their own personal computer, which would be extremely convenient for her research. Since Brian was a Squib and did not possess enough magic to actively work with it, he had enlisted Lily's assistance to efficiently get his computers to work in the magical world. Right now, Regina had more important things to do, such as studying for the NEWTs, however, she intended to consult her husband and Lily concerning personal computers and how they worked in the magical world, as soon as she had finished school.

Her children were happily growing up at the MAMA with a group of siblings and friends, and she felt that not only Christa but also Jonathan was developing well. Most importantly, both children were outright happy, and Jonathan's magic seemed to be as strong as Christa's – a fact that was very reassuring for her.

HP

The Yule Ball was traditionally opened by the head boy. This year, Bill Weasley opened the ball together with Nymphadora Tonks, who was a fifth-year and classmate of his younger brother Charlie.

All the teachers were talking about the matter and about the dream couple as they called them, and Harry and his friends were very eager to watch the Yule Ball. However, just like it had been during the last few years, only students from fifth-year onwards were allowed to participate in the ball.

"It's totally unfair," Harry and Neville told Minerva.

"As Mini Unspeakables…"

"… we work together with the adults every day…"

"… but when it comes to this…"

"… we're just small children," the twins complained, accompanied by Inu's woofing.

"I'm sorry, but only students from fifth-year onwards are allowed to participate in the Yule Ball, and it's going to remain that way," the headmistress replied in a firm voice. "I'm sorry."

The twins grudgingly left the headmistress' office to search for their friends and inform them about their unfruitful attempt to convince their granny otherwise.

"Let's go to the Unspeakables' office and ask Ra, Raros and Mento for an advice how to play a prank on the adults," Draco suggested, and the others immediately agreed.

HP

The three Unspeakables listened in apparent amusement, when the Mini Unspeakables explained their presence in the office in the morning of Christmas Eve, although they had been ordered to not come to work over Christmas.

"You want to prank all the adults?" Ra enquired.

"No…"

"… Only those of the extended family…"

"… which means Mum and Dad, Granny Minerva, Granny Augusta…"

"… Frank and Alice…"

"…Uncle Sirius, Aunt Amelia, Uncle Remus, Uncle Sirius, Aunt Narcissa…" The twins slowly trailed off, giving their friends questioning looks.

"Our dad," the older twins added.

"My mother," Christa spoke up.

"Perhaps not my parents," Hermione added, hesitantly.

"Harry, Fred and George, you're good at brewing, aren't you?" Arcturus enquired.

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Very well then," Arcturus continued, "Regulus, would you be so kind and look up let's say five or six different recipes for prank potions? We'll bring them, when we come to the MAMA for dinner, and you'll have the evening to brew them in the Potions classroom. Regulus, would you be willing to supervise the three?"

"Of course," Regulus confirmed, grinning.

"May I assist?" Christa spoke up in a small voice, giving Harry a questioning look.

"Me too?" Hermione asked.

"That would be helpful…"

"… if we have to brew five different potions," the Weasley twins replied, grinning.

"Yes please," Harry added, giving the two girls grateful smiles. _'Oh, I can't wait what the potions are going to do to them,'_ he thought in anticipation.

HP

The five children had much fun brewing the five different potions. Neither Arcturus nor Regulus had explained what the effects were going to be, and Harry and the twins slowly discussed possible properties during the brewing process; however, they could not be certain about the effects the potions were going to have.

When the brewing was finished and the classroom cleaned up with a few selected Unspeakable spells by Hermione and Christa, Harry called Dobby. While he was Draco's elf, he was the funniest of all the elves at the MAMA. Harry handed the phials to Dobby and asked the elf to spell them right into the adult family members' systems. Dobby jumped up and down with both feet in apparent excitement and reassured him that he would do so right away.

"Are you sure that he won't give us away…"

"… to the adults?" Fred and George asked in concern.

"He won't," Harry replied in a firm voice.

"He's been involved in other small pranks before," Christa added, smirking.

HP

At breakfast on Christmas morning, no one was able to understand Minerva, as she was speaking all the words backwards, which Harry only realised, when Sirius explained it. His godfather was, however, stuttering badly, and everyone laughed at his explanation. Lily and Alice were singing, and when James opened his mouth to speak, only bubbles escaped, leaving no space for words. Remus and Severus were barking like dogs, and apart from Inu, only Harry and Neville as canine Animagi, were able to understand them.

Neville had not managed the complete transformation yet; however, he was already able to transform his whole body apart from his head. Christa and Hermione were on the same level. Christa was a beautiful ice phoenix and Hermione a brown eagle, however, both birds still had human heads. In the meantime, Harry had admitted that he managed the transformation into his phoenix form and had taken a couple of lessons with Fawkes, who had taught him to fly and flash and walk on his unused bird feet.

"I wonder to whom we owe these pranks," Frank spoke up, causing everyone to stare at him, questioningly. Only some of the adults grinned, knowingly, before Alice explained, "That's Latin."

=There are only three among the children and students including seventh-years, who would be able to brew such potions,= Severus barked, glaring at Harry and the older twins, who – after receiving a translation from Neville – cast innocent looks back at the Potions Master.

"Wehehell donononn," Sirius commented, grinning at the three boys, while Minerva contented herself shaking her head in apparent annoyance.

Harry knew better than to translate Severus' barks, =I'm going to get my revenge once you've forgot about the matter.=

HP

By the end of the school year, all nine Mini Unspeakables were able to change into their Animagi forms. Apart from Harry's canine form, he was a water phoenix with feathers in all kinds of emerald and blue tones, Christa was an ice phoenix with completely white feathers and just a few light pink back feathers, Fred and George were wind phoenixes with green feathers with some shades of orange, Hermione was an eagle and the spitting image of her familiar, Neville looked exactly like Inu and Harry in his canine form, Draco was a niffler, similar to the niffler, which Remus kept on the ground together with the other magical creatures, and Susan was a marmalade cat.

"I'm surprised that you haven't become a toad like Wonka," Sirius teased Neville, who stared at him in surprise.

"As much as I like Wonka," he replied in a firm voice, "Inu and Harry are my twins, and it was much more important for me to become a doggy."

Harry and Inu nodded in confirmation.

"Oh well, as it's the first day of the summer holidays, let's have an Animagi night tonight," Sirius then suggested, and everyone agreed, happily.

"Oh, I wonder what we're going to do," Harry thought aloud.

"It's going to be much fun in any case," Neville added, grinning in anticipation.

#Just so you know, I've made a deal with the dog hero,# Fawkes announced, fluffing his back feathers.

"You've made a deal with Inu?" Hermione asked, incredulously. "And what might that be?" she added with apparent curiosity.

_'Ah, it's convenient that we have several bird and dog Animagi, so that others can translate for once,'_ Harry thought, inwardly grinning at Hermione's eagerness.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Animagi night"._


	25. Animagi night

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

=Fawkes wants to take all the phoenix Animagi to Dragonsedge tonight to show you some places of interest in the air,= Inu explained to Harry. =You can go with him in your birdie form, but in return, you're going to be a doggy for the rest of the night.=

Rolling his eyes at his two familiars, Harry replied, "Thanks Inu and Fawkes, for deciding over my Animagi forms," before he translated for the others.

"Oh Merlin, I just wished I had your problems," Hermione blurted out, causing everyone to laugh.

"Go on and try for a second Animagus form," Harry quipped, grinning, as the girl glared at him, mumbling something that sounded like being glad to have managed one form.

HP

As soon as it became dark that evening, the Animagi headed out onto the grounds, where Fawkes motioned the phoenixes to follow him. To Harry's amazement, several of the professors joined him and his friends in their Animagi forms. Even his father in his majestic stag form was there, while his mother remained at home with his younger siblings.

#Fawkes, may Hermione join us please?# Harry asked his familiar.

#She's a cheap eagle,# Fawkes replied, indignantly.

#But she can fly like us, and she understands bird talk,# Harry replied, somehow not comprehending what the difference was. _'Oh well, she can't flash, but we'll all able to fly to Dragonsedge,'_ he thought in confusion.

#That's up to you,# Fawkes told them. #I wanted to take you to phoenix land, but only phoenixes are able to go there. An eagle wouldn't be able to find it let alone flash there.#

#Oh, that's fine then,# the eagle spoke up. #I'll join you another time, when you simply fly to Dragonsedge or such. What exactly is phoenix land?# Hermione then enquired with apparent interest.

#It's a holiday place for only phoenixes to go and know about,# Fawkes trilled, glaring at the eagle in apparent annoyance. #Now Splash, Icicle and Stormies, are you ready to leave?# he added, seemingly impatient.

#Yes,# the four phoenix Animagi replied, looking at their leader in expectation, while the eagle proceeded to take a flight around the park.

#Now, concentrate and think of travelling to phoenix land, before you flash,# Fawkes advised the Animagi, who nodded their heads and left after him.

The first thing that Harry felt upon arriving at their destiny was relief. _'Thank Merlin I managed to arrive here, and Christa and the twins did, too,'_ he thought, before he curiously looked around.

They found themselves in a huge garden that was spread seemingly infinitely in all directions. The garden was full of flowers and trees, the sun was shining, and thousands of other phoenixes were flying, walking or hopping around, obviously having fun. Happy trills filled the air. Harry could see many tiny lakes that looked extremely inviting, and here and there, he recognised bowls with phoenix treats and fruits.

#This is phoenix land,# Fawkes explained, gently. #You may do as you wish, eat and bathe, fly around, but as we only have one night, which is going to pass quickly here in phoenix land, I suggest that we remain together for the time being.#

Everyone agreed, and they followed Fawkes around the park, observing how he greeted other phoenixes who seemed to be old friends.

#This is beautiful,# Christa trilled, when they took a rest next to a lake, where they sat down for a while filling their bellies with the most delicious phoenix treats and fruits. #Thank you so much for bringing us here, Fawkes.#

A short while later, Christa was joined by another ice phoenix, and the two phoenixes were chatting away, when the twins saw fit to flash from one side of the girls to the other, causing a huge storm to engulf the ice phoenixes.

Harry was observing the scene, shaking his head at the twins' antics, when all of a sudden, an older earth phoenix joined them.

#Are you the father of these young ones?# he asked Fawkes.

#Kind of,# the fire phoenix replied, shortly, fluffing his back feathers.

#You must teach them to not conjure such a storm around young girls,# the earth phoenix told him, sounding slightly reproachful.

#I know, but they're young and mischievous,# Fawkes replied, pleasantly, before he flashed away in a bright flash and jumped right into the water.

Harry quickly followed his lead, realising that the water was pleasantly warm and felt comfortable and soothing to his plume.

Much too soon for their liking, Fawkes informed them that breakfast in the atrium was going to commence soon.

#We only arrived here about an hour ago,# Christa replied in apparent bewilderment.

#I know. Time always flies here,# Fawkes said in what seemed to be regret.

#Can we come back here at any time?# Harry enquired, resolving to instruct Inu and Neville to become phoenix Animagi as soon as possible.

#Any time,# Fawkes confirmed, #and I'll gladly accompany you. Always,# he promised. #Now flash back into the park of the MAMA,# he instructed them, and with great regret, the four younger phoenixes followed his lead.

HP

_'I can't believe how quickly this night passed,'_ Harry thought, as he greeted Inu and absentmindedly took his seat at the breakfast table. _'We didn't even sleep, but I'm fully awake,'_ he realised in amazement.

'I missed you. You were late,' Inu thought to him, reproachfully.

'I'm so sorry, Inu. Time passed so fast at phoenix land. I thought that only about an hour had passed since we arrived there,' Harry apologized, only to add, 'You must try to become a phoenix Animagus, so that we can go there together.'

'I'll try,' the canine promised.

Harry looked up in confusion, when Neville, who was sitting next to him, suddenly transformed into an overlarge, yellow chicken.

"Neville?" Hermione blurted out in apparent bewilderment.

#Don't drink the pumpkin juice,# Neville trilled. #Someone must have pranked us.#

Harry quickly translated for those who were not bird Animagi, before he called Gina and asked for a cup of hot chocolate for himself and his friends, which arrived instantly.

Nevertheless, he could not prevent himself nor his friends from unwillingly transforming into various kinds of animals. Inwardly groaning when he felt the transformation set in, he realised in horror that he was some kind of pig.

=Change into your canine form,= he heard Inu advise him. =You can do that.=

Without even bothering to look left or right, Harry thought intensely, _'I wish to be in my doggy form._' He let out a relieved sigh upon realising that his body began to change again. A moment later, he felt himself back in the canine form, which felt very familiar. _'Thank Merlin,'_ he thought, only now noticing that his friends had left the table and were running around the atrium in various animal forms. He did not even know who was who. In fact, a sheep was chasing the overgrown chicken and a kangaroo, while two baboons were running after a squirrel and a meerkat.

"Oh well, if you're finished playing, you could try to transform into your Animagi forms," he told the others, as he changed back into his human form. Glaring at Severus, he asked, "What was that for?"

"What are you talking about?" Severus enquired, causing Harry to roll his eyes at the older wizard.

"As Sirius isn't adept enough at potions and Mum wouldn't do such a thing, I suppose that this was your prank potion," Harry replied, matter-of-factly, causing the adults to laugh.

"Oh, I believe that we still owed you a revenge for a well-played prank from months ago," Minerva informed him, chuckling.

"Thank Merlin that we're all Animagi," Hermione stated, what everyone else thought.

"Yes, I didn't think about that. Next time, we need to consider that," Severus loudly whispered to Lily, who nodded, pleasantly.

"Mum?" Harry and Neville blurted out, simultaneously; however, their mother merely cast them an innocent look in return.

HP

During the remaining weeks of the holidays, a prank war took place, which left adults and children with various predicaments every other day. As the children knew that Severus and Lily spent the day doing valuable potions research and the Mini Unspeakables had training during the day, both parties waited until dinner time to strike.

"This is totally annoying," five-year-old Charlus complained to his mother. "Mione promised to read us a story, but she can't. That's your and Uncle Severus' fault that her hands are reversed."

Lily nodded, grimly, trying hard to keep her grin at bay, before she inwardly sighed in relief, when James promised to read their son a story.

Hermione was equally annoyed, as she had wanted to continue reading the twelfth book from the series of the five magical friends, which Harry had received for his birthday. However, with the inside of her hands outside and the outside inside, she was unable to hold anything in her hands – at least not well enough to properly read.

"As they kind of stole us the whole evening…"

"… we should have another Animagi night…"

"… without the adults…"

"… to make up for it," the Weasley twins suggested, and the ten-year-olds were all for it.

"We should wait until midnight though…"

"… so that Mum and Dad won't realise that we're missing," the younger twins added, and everyone agreed.

"Dobby!" Draco called his elf, who appeared in a blink and immediately promised to wake them up at midnight and help them have a party on the grounds. The mischievous elf went even further and had his son Teddy assist, and when the children in their various Animagi forms crept out into the park, it was beautifully decorated with all kinds of illuminations, and a huge buffet with delicacies was laid out right next to the lake.

"Don't worries, no adult wills be able to sees this," Dobby reassured them, grinning broadly.

This time, Harry decided to spend the night in his canine form, and while Fawkes took Christa, Hermione and the Weasley twins for a flight around Dragonsedge, he roamed the grounds together with Neville and Inu. They had much fun, and only when it slowly began to become light, did they quietly return to their beds.

_'Thank Merlin tomorrow is Saturday and we don't have training,'_ Harry thought in relief, as he closed his eyes, happily noticing that Inu crawled under the covers and pressed himself against his stomach as usual.

HP

What the children had completely forgotten, however, was that this Saturday, the 18th of August, was the wedding day of Severus and Narcissa. On this occasion, they had to perform a play for the happy couple, which Evelyn Jones had practised with them. Evelyn was going to be their teacher during the last year, before they were going to be first-years, and they liked her a lot.

To the children's relief, the play only took place in the afternoon. In a conjured tent on the grounds, three working tables with two chairs each were placed in a row, in front of them a teacher's table. Severus Snape was standing in front of the row, where six children were sitting at their tables.

"Now, test your potions," the professor instructed them in a firm voice, before he left the room through a side door.

Neville, who was the first student from the left side, eyed the phial in front of him with apparent trepidation. "Do I really have to drink that?" he asked, shuddering visibly.

"Yes, but don't worry, you've done well," Susan assured him from his right side, causing Neville to gulp down the concoction in a large gulp.

Instantly, his hair began to grow and took on a bright orange colour, causing the other pupils to let out large gasps.

When Susan tried her own potion, her hair turned green and let out bright neon sparks.

"I'm going to get Professor Pomfrey," Hermione blurted out and left through the door on the left side, only to return an instant later with the healer in tow.

The healer looked at the two pupils. "What's happening here?" she enquired, strictly.

"Professor Snape instructed us to try out our own potions," Hermione explained, quickly.

"What is the potion supposed to be?" Poppy asked, casting a spell at Neville and Susan that made the two pupils' hair return to their normal state.

"Pepperup potion," Hermione informed her, giving her a questioning look, just when Professor Snape returned to the classroom.

"What's taking you so long?" he hissed at Hermione, Christa, Harry and Draco, Susan and Neville, completely ignoring Poppy. "Get on with it."

Before the children could do as much as move a limb, however, his whole body began to shake and let out neon sparks in rainbow colours.

"That's it. I'm going to take you with me for the time being. I don't know what happened to you, but if you're not better able to teach your students how to brew pepper-up potion, I'm afraid Lily will have to take over your classes from now on." With that, the healer pulled the Potions master with her out of the classroom.

"Mischief manged," Harry loudly whispered to Inu, who was holding the elder wand in his right front paw. "Well done, Inu."

"Just tell me one thing," Severus spoke up from where he and his bride were sitting among their colleagues. "Who had the gall to impersonate me?"

"That was us," the other Severus Snape spoke up.

"… But you have to admit," Poppy added.

"… that we were brilliant," Severus finished the sentence.

"Weasley and Weasley, see to it that this Polyjuice potion wears off soon," Severus growled at the twins, much to the audience's amusement.

HP

Soon, school began again, and with classes, Unspeakable training, Animagi nights and the occasional night spent at phoenix land, the school year passed much too quickly for Harry's liking.

_'Soon, we're going to be first years and won't have much time left to play or to train with the Unspeakables. Neither will we be able to get away to phoenix land,'_ he thought, sadly.

However, he soon became distracted, when Arcturus informed the Mini Unspeakables that it was time to make their own wands. "I know that you already have wands," he turned to the Weasley twins, "but I still suggest that you make your own, as they will be much more powerful."

"How can we make them?" Hermione asked, eagerly.

"You must think about what ingredients you should use," Arcturus explained. "If you have a familiar that's able to give you, for example, a feather of an eagle or a phoenix, you could use that as first ingredient. You could even use a feather from your own Animagus form. Secondly, you need something from a plant, like, for example, lichens from the roof of the MAMA or the willow next to the lake, and thirdly, you could add the blood from a powerful wizard or witch or from yourself. Please think about it for a while, and when you've decided, come to me, and I'll help you get the ingredients."

HP

Later in the evening, when the extended family was sitting together for tea, the conversation returned to the topic of wands.

"Excuse me," Harry spoke up, questioningly, "is there something I could use from Inu?"

"You could use his blood," James replied, smirking, "perhaps in addition to a feather from Fawkes and some skin from the basilisk at Hogwarts."

"Is it possible to have four ingredients?" Harry enquired.

"It will not only be possible, but in your case very powerful, too," James confirmed, only to add, "As a plant, I suggest for all of you using strings from a branch of the blood beech that's towering over the lake.

"Oh, the one we can see from the balcony of our room," Neville blurted out in excitement.

"It's at least older than us and will surely add a valuable ingredient to a powerful wand," Sirius agreed.

"It's not only older than us, you moron," James corrected him. "There's a plate attached to its trunk stating that it was a gift from the minister of magic for Potter Manor after its rebuilding in 1777."

"That will be adequate," Arcturus spoke up, causing everyone to look at the old Unspeakable in surprise.

"Don't sneak up on us, Grandfather," Sirius said, reproachfully, making the Mini Unspeakables chuckle, as they – in contrary to the untrained adults – had heard their colleague pop into the room. Even Inu knew to not bark if an Unspeakable approached, provided that he could not sense any evil intention.

HP

During the rest of the week, the children engrossed themselves in discussing possible ingredients for their wands, before they spent the weekend harvesting their ingredients with the help of the extended family and informed Arcturus about their decisions on Monday morning.

During the following two weeks, Arcturus led one Mini Unspeakable a day to Athene, the Unspeakables' wand maker.

"We're not proficient in wand making," he informed Harry, as he led him through the Unspeakables' corridors. "Athene is our wand maker, and she'll help each of you make your wands."

Athene was a very old witch, and to Harry's surprise, she was not wearing a hood. She had long, white hair, and her face was full with wrinkles, however, she smiled at him and was very friendly.

It took Athene almost three hours to make a wand from the intertwined phoenix feather and basilisk skin with lichens from the roof of the MAMA and five drops of Inu's blood.

Finally, she handed Harry his wand, smiling broadly. It was black with some brown and white spots that reminded Harry of Inu, however, it was shimmering red, and when Harry held it in his hand, it felt cool and silky almost like the basilisk skin had felt against his skin. His whole body seemed to warm up, and he realised that he felt incredibly happy. Small sparks erupted from the tip of his wand, when he gave it a slight shake.

"It's beautiful," he sighed, happily.

"Be careful, child," Athene warned him. "This wand is one of the most powerful wands which I've ever seen. The only wand more powerful than this is the Elder Wand. If it is more powerful at all," she added as an afterthought.

"And that belongs to Inu," Arcturus added, smirking. "Now, that's the end of your quiet time here. From next week onwards, Devil is going to intensify your training, and believe me, powerful wand or not, it's going to be hard."

HP

At Hogwarts, Molly Prewitt was sitting behind her desk in the headmistress' office pondering her situation.

_'Why did Albus have to insist on hiring a stuttering professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts?'_ she wondered in annoyance. _'Just because he's in discredit with the Aurors, I could have asked Moody to lend us an Auror for a year. Considering that Ronnie is going to be a first-year, I really am interested in having good teachers for once.'_

Glancing at the Sorting Hat, she uttered, "I very much hope that you're going to sort my son into Gryffindor." However, the Hat conveniently chose to ignore her, much to her annoyance.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "First-years"._


	26. First-years

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

The seven eleven-year-old Mini Unspeakables were extremely excited. Today, they were finally going to be first-years.

The older twins as well as Charlie, the new head boy, and Bill, who had been the new Alchemy professor for a year now, had told them all about classes at the MAMA, and it sounded much more interesting than their primary school lessons had been.

Since the beginning of their lessons at the age of four, Harry, Neville, Draco, Susan, Hermione, Christa, Inu, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Hannah Abbot, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Mandy Brocklehorst, Su Li, Lavender Brown, Vanessa O'Neill, Millicent Bulstrode and Brigitte Burnham had been in a class together.

"I wonder if they're all going to come and if we get new students," Susan spoke up, when the seven Mini Unspeakables were huddled on Harry's and Neville's bed to make plans for the day.

"Granny Mina said…"

"… that everyone from our class was going to come back…"

"… and that we'll get fourteen new students in our class…"

"…. and that there would only be about a dozen students…"

"… going to attend their first year at Hogwarts," the twins supplied.

"We could go to King's Cross a little earlier and observe the sad crowd going to Hogwarts," Draco suggested, grinning.

"Oh, that's a brilliant idea," Susan immediately agreed. "Let's do that."

"Why not?" Christa agreed, smirking.

"But let's wear our school uniform…"

"… so that everyone knows that we belong to the MAMA," the twins added, causing everyone to cheer in anticipation.

"If the Hogwarts Express leaves at eleven, we need to be there at ten," Hermione reasoned. "Isn't that a bit early if our train only leaves at two o'clock in the afternoon?"

"Hermione, you're forgetting one thing," Harry replied, grinning.

"We can simply pop away, when the students board the train," Neville added.

"And then come back at about one o'clock." Hermione nodded in understanding.

"I can't wait to wear my school robes anyway," Christa voiced her excitement.

During their primary school time, they did not have to wear any kind of school clothes. However, that was going to change now that they were going to be first-years.

In contrary to the school uniform at Hogwarts, where the robes were black and the colour of the scarves depended on the house students were in, school robes at the MAMA were the same for everyone. The robes were of a dark purple colour, and the scarves had a yellow tone that matched the robes very well. The school's crest – a picture of Inu surrounded by small letters saying _'Where there's a will, there's a way'_ – was embroidered onto the top left part of the robes as well as in a tone in tone pattern all over the scarf.

Giggling and chuckling, the six human soon-to-be first years went to change into their new school clothes, wearing their Unspeakable robes on top of them.

"Mum…"

"… we're going to go to the Unspeakables' office," Harry and Neville informed Lily, before they popped away, making a short detour to the staff room of group 5. "That way, we didn't lie to Mum," Harry assured Neville, while they waited for the others to arrive.

"Now, Dog hero," Arcturus addressed Inu, "are you going to accompany these imbeciles to the platform hours too early, or are you going to have training with Devil and me?"

"It's all right, Inu. You can remain here. We'll be back in an hour," Harry reassured the canine, who nodded his head in understanding.

Usually, he never separated from his twin, however, knowing that Harry and his friends were not expected on the platform so early and could simply pop away if anyone wanted to harm them, made him choose training for once.

'It's probably going to be a special training for me as a doggy,' he thought to his twin.

'I think so, too, but you must tell me everything about it later on,' Harry thought back.

=Training please,= he replied to Arcturus, who nodded in understanding in spite of not being able to comprehend the barks.

"The six of you," Fabian addressed the children, "better remain under your Unspeakables robes and make yourselves invisible if you simply want to watch the scenes on the platform. There's no need to let anyone know about your presence at all."

"Oh, that's true," Hermione was the first to respond, even if she sounded disappointed, causing Harry to chuckle.

'_The girls just can't wait to show off their new robes,'_ he thought in amusement, only to add, _'Just like Inu.'_

"Inu, you better take off your robes before training," he warned the canine.

"They're not made for training," Neville added, quickly.

An instant later, small purple robes and a yellow scarf were flying across the room, landing in a heap on one of the chairs, before Inu dashed out of the room, closely followed by a smirking Unspeakable Ra.

HP

Even if the children had heard at the MAMA that the student population at Hogwarts had shrunken greatly, they were astonished to see only about seventy students on the platform.

_'Oh Merlin, we have almost three hundred students,' _Harry thought, knowing that there would be 35 of them in their class. Minerva and James had even considered separating the new first-year class into two classes, however, had decided to observe the first few weeks before deciding.

The only class, during which they would be separated from the beginning, was Potions. During the first week, Severus and Lily were going to teach the class together and closely observe the students. From the second week onwards, Severus was going to teach those who seemed to show a certain talent for brewing and would be able to proceed at a quicker pace, while Lily would teach the rest.

_'Oh well, Potions is going to be a bit boring anyway,'_ Harry thought, knowing that he was very much advanced. During the summer holidays, Severus had suggested that he and the Weasley twins should take their Potions OWLs before Christmas, and the three students fully intended to do so. _'I hope he'll allow me to practise for the OWLs during class time,'_ he thought.

They observed the scenes on the platform for about ten minutes, before they decided unanimously to not waste more time but return to the Unspeakables' office and join Inu in his training.

HP

A few hours later, they were back on the platform to board the MAMA express, where the seven of them occupied a compartment for themselves.

During the train ride that took five hours, several of the other students came by to say hello, as everyone knew the permanent residents of the MAMA.

"Have you already set up your Quidditch team?" Oliver Wood, the captain of the fifth-years, enquired with apparent interest.

"Not yet…"

"… as we also have to give the new students a chance," Harry and Neville replied in determination.

"Oh well, as long as you're going to play Seeker, you will beat every other class," Oliver informed Harry, smirking.

"That we will," Draco assured the older student, grinning in apparent anticipation.

HP

A few hours later, they found themselves sitting at the first-years' table in the atrium, where Minerva introduced the new first-year students, who had not attended the primary school: "Kevin Entwhistle, Morag MacDougal, Roger Malone, Sally-Anne Perks, Oliver Rivers, Peter Runcorn, Sophie Roper, Emma Vane, Sally Smith, Stephen Cornfoot, Ernest Macmillan, Anthony Goldstein, Lisa Turpin and Blaise Zabini, welcome to the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts. Welcome back to our older students as well as the first-years, who have already attended the primary school," she added. "I ask all of you to assist the new first-years getting around the school during their first days here."

Harry and his friends nodded. They had already decided that Harry, Neville and Draco should take care of the boys who shared the dormitory with them, while Seamus, Dean and Theodore would take care for the boys in the other dormitory. Hermione, Christa and Susan had apparently made similar arrangements for the girls.

HP

At Hogwarts, the traditional Sorting Ceremony took place, and headmistress Molly Prewitt observed it with a combination of impatience and interest.

Albus carried the Sorting Hat into the Great Hall and motioned him to begin with the ceremony.

"For solely nine first-years, I am not going to sing," Sopho informed the deputy headmaster. "Begin to call the newbies already."

To Molly's disappointment, Albus did not even tell the impertinent Hat off, but simply began to read the first name from his list. "Fay Dunbar."

When Fay was sorted into Gryffindor, Molly held her head high. _'Ronald is going to be sorted there as well,'_ she thought, contentedly. Unfortunately, her son, who was still carrying her former husband's name, was the last of the nine first-years to be sorted and was only called to the front, after Parvati Patil had also been sorted into Gryffindor, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Wayne Hopkins and Megan Jones into Hufflepuff, Michael Corner and Padma Patil into Ravenclaw and Pansy Parkinson had become a despicable Slytherin.

HP

Ronald stumbled forward to the stool and sat down. _'It's about time,_' he thought, when Dumbledore placed the Hat onto his head. _'Now, I just hope it's going to put me into Gryffindor quickly. I'm hungry.'_

Suddenly, a faint voice penetrated his mind. 'Oh, what a pity, as it's not going to be quick. I simply don't know what to do with you, because you don't really fit into any house.'

"I'm a Gryffindor. That's clear, because my parents and all the Weasleys have been Gryffindors before," Ronald protested, loudly.

'No, you don't possess the courage to be a Gryffindor, you're too lazy to be a Ravenclaw, not loyal enough for a Hufflepuff. I think it's going to be…'

"Slytherin," the Hat shouted into the hall, before the small opening above his brim bent to a small smirk.

"You can't do that," Ronald protested, loudly, seeing the shock written in his mother's and sister's faces from the corners of his eyes.

"I can and I already did," the Hat replied in a cold voice, before he asked the headmaster to take him back into the headmaster's office.

"It's the headmistress' office," Dumbledore gently corrected the Hat that let out a scoff, causing Ron to stare after the old wizard in shock.

"Sit at your house table, child," Professor Figg, the teacher for Muggle Studies, instructed him, and Ronald grudgingly made his way over to the Slytherin table, wondering what would happen if he simply sat with the Gryffindors.

_'Too bad that my older brothers all have left for Dad's school. Otherwise, they'd surely be able to help me,'_ he thought, as he took the empty seat next to Pansy Parkinson.

HP

_'Thank Merlin Granny Mina put the three of us and Inu as well as Hermione, Christa and Susan together,'_ Harry thought, gratefully, when he entered the dormitory together with his siblings. Even if his mother had assured the trio that they could come home and stay in their own room overnight, whenever they wanted, he had no intention of overusing this privilege, which the other students did not have.

_'Our new classmates seem to be nice,'_ Harry thought, letting out a relieved sigh, when he let himself sink into his new bed with Inu cuddling against his stomach.

HP

When Harry and his siblings, friends and classmates attended their first morning class with great anticipation and excitement, Molly Prewitt was sitting in her office glaring at the Sorting Hat.

"You stupid old piece of cloth," she shouted, almost regretting that she could not send a Hat a Howler, "how dare you sort my son into the house of the evils? He's a Gryffindor through and through," she added.

"Headmistress, please behave yourself," Phineas Nigellus Black spoke up from his portrait in a sharp voice. "My house is not an evil house. I rather suspect that your son isn't even worthy enough of Slytherin house."

The Hat merely nodded in the direction of Phineas, however, simply chose to ignore her, causing Molly to see red.

Raising her wand, she pointed it at the Sorting Hat, shouting, "Incendio."

A mere instant later, a bright flash filled the room; however, it did not come from the Hat.

Fawkes, Albus' former familiar, arrived, carefully picked up the Hat with his feet and flashed away in another bright flash, leaving her to stare at the empty spot on the shelf in shock.

"You're a stupid bitch," Phineas scolded her, sounding extremely angry.

HP

The first-years' first Transfiguration class was almost over, when Fawkes suddenly flashed into the classroom, carrying Hogwarts' Sorting Hat. Putting down the Hat onto Inu's head, he made himself comfortable on Harry's shoulder.

James, who was just giving out homework to the first-years, interrupted himself and stared at the phoenix in disbelief.

"Fawkes," he addressed the phoenix, "what does this mean? Why did you bring the Sorting Hat from Hogwarts here and above all placed it on Inu's head?"

Fawkes fluffed his feathers in apparent anger. #Because Molly Stupid tried to incendio the Hat, who called me for help. As he's a good and long-time friend of mine, I brought him here to bond with the dog hero. Harry, please translate,# he added.

=The Hat bonded to me,= Inu added to Harry's translation. =He's a bit big though, and I can't see anything.=

"Wait until tomorrow, then your father may shrink me to fit for you," the Hat finally spoke up. "Before that, I still have an errand to do in my usual size."

Apparently realising that the students were eagerly following the conversation that was taking place in the second row, James turned to the Hat. "Sopho, are you going to abandon Hogwarts?"

"Yes," the Hat confirmed, "at least as long as the school is being lead by idiots."

"I understand," James replied, nodding in understanding. "Oh well, you're always welcome here."

"Thanks," Sopho replied, smirking. "In fact, Fawkes invited me and suggested for me to bond to Inu."

=Sopho,= Inu addressed the Hat, pushing it out of his eyes with an impatient flick of his left front paw, =What is the errand you've got to do, before Harry may shrink you to fit me?=

"Ah, Dog hero, that's for me to know and for you to find out tomorrow at the earliest," Sopho replied, grinning.

HP

Ginny Weasley was finally asleep after a series of temper tantrums from her mother about her adored big brother's Sorting into Slytherin that had lasted the whole day.

All of a sudden, however, she was wakened abruptly by her mother's screaming.

_'Mum is screaming, but it's not only Mum. There are two voices,'_ she thought in confusion, as she hurriedly scrambled out of her bed and ran into the adjacent bedroom, where her mother was supposed to be asleep.

Taking in the scene in front of her, her concern quickly turned into absolute annoyance.

A phoenix was sitting on the wardrobe, seemingly laughing his head off, while the Sorting Hat was perched on her mother's head, screaming at her. Her mother seemed trying to get the Hat off her head in vain, screaming as well.

_'Oh Merlin, why is Mum such an idiot?'_ she thought, horrified. _'Bad enough that Ron is in Slytherin, but it's just a house. Did Mum really have to try to set the Hat on fire? The Hat is an old artefact, and it's obvious that it would be more powerful than her.'_

Trusting the Hat to not outright kill her mother, especially since the phoenix on top of the wardrobe was laughing, she merely shouted at her mother, "Mum, you're an idiot," before leaving the room in a huff. Not caring that she was dressed only in her pyjamas, she ran through the empty halls of Hogwarts, as quickly as her bare feet could carry her.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Ginny Weasley"._


	27. Ginny Weasley

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

Ginny Weasley ran through the deserted halls of the castle and only stopped running, when she reached the owlery. Glad that there was still parchment left on the side table, she grabbed a quill and quickly scribbled a note.

_'Dad,  
please come and get me. I am waiting in the owlery of Hogwarts.  
Your daughter  
Ginny'_

"Please send this to Arthur Weasley as fast as possible. Wake him up if you can," she instructed one of the school owls that seemed young and could probably fly fast.

The owl gave her a short hoot in confirmation, before it took off into the darkness engulfing the castle.

_'I wonder how long it'll take before Dad comes to get me,'_ she thought, never even doubting that he would come, as she let herself sink against the wall next to the entrance door and began to sob. She sobbed for leaving her mother and the only brother she had ever really known. She knew that she had several older brothers, however, each of them had left her mother, when she had still been a little girl. _'Thank Merlin only one year and then I'll finally be able to attend school myself,'_ she thought, as she sobbed herself into sleep, the thought _'I'd be a Gryffindor'_ crossing her mind.

Ginny only woke up, when she felt herself being lifted up into strong arms.

"Dad," she whispered, smiling, upon seeing her father's face right in front of her.

"My daughter," her father replied, giving her a sharp look. "Are you absolutely certain that you wish to leave your mother, Ronald and Hogwarts and come with me?"

"Yes," Ginny replied in a firm voice.

"Then let's go," her father replied and motioned her to take hold of the Portkey in the form of a stuffed plush dog that he held out to her. An instant later, they were gone from Hogwarts and arrived in what seemed to be a comfortable living room.

HP

The distressed girl let herself sink into the offered seat, while her father went to wake up her oldest brother Bill, explaining that everyone else was sleeping in their dormitories.

"I'll call the others here," Bill said and headed to a green point that was integrated into one part of the wall. Touching the point with his wand, he uttered, "Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, please come to our quarters immediately. Ginny is here."

To Ginny's surprise, four small, silvery dogs appeared in the air right in front of the green point and dashed away through the nearest wall.

"That were Patroni in the form of Inu, our school mascot," Bill explained to her, before he pulled her into a bear's hug.

"I'm glad that you came here, Ginny, but what happened?" he asked, eyeing her in apparent concern.

"Nothing really," Ginny admitted. "It's just that Mum does one stupid thing after the next. Yesterday, she tried to burn the Sorting Hat."

"Oh right, we've heard that he has abandoned Hogwarts and came to live here at the MAMA," Arthur replied, shaking his head in apparent annoyance. "It was the right thing to come here, Ginny."

"Exactly," Bill agreed, just when his four younger brothers stormed into the room. "I can't even understand how she managed to remain the headmistress for such a long time."

"She isn't really," Ginny admitted. "Dumbledore is. Mum only is the headmistress for show, but Dumbledore is making all the decisions."

"Oh well, last night must have been a bad show…"

"… if it drove you to leave her and Ron," the twins replied, grinning, as they took turns hugging her.

"It's good to have you here, Ginny," Charlie said, following the twins' example.

"Believe me, we all understand," Percy added.

"At breakfast, I'll introduce you to the children of the last primary school class," Arthur announced. "I suggest that you join them from today onwards. Let's go and speak with the headmistress beforehand though."

Only now did Ginny realise that it had become light in the meantime, and she cast Bill a grateful look, when he transfigured her pyjamas into blue jeans and a white blouse with a pattern of flowers before promising that he would accompany them to the headmistress' office.

HP

To Ginny's relief, Professor McGonagall was outright friendly to her and promised to introduce her to her new classmates during breakfast.

"You might know Luna Lovegood," Bill said, questioningly. "She was a neighbour of us, when we were living at the Burrow."

"She was my friend at that time," Ginny replied as she remembered the nice girl from her early childhood, suddenly looking forward to meet her new classmates. '_Thank Merlin they have a primary school here,'_ she thought, feeling happy at her late night's sudden decision.

HP

When Harry and Inu woke up in the morning, Sopho was back and adjusted his size to fit onto Inu's head.

=Don't tell me that you're going to sit on my head all day,= Inu growled at the Hat who chuckled.

"No, I believe that I'm going to spend some quality time with Fawkes in your parents' quarters," the Hat replied.

"I think that would be for the best," Harry agreed, glad when Fawkes left together with the Hat, when he, Neville and Inu changed into their school robes. Inu then ran ahead to quickly do his business at his favourite place behind the stables.

HP

At the same time, Molly Prewitt realised in shock that her ten-year-old daughter seemed to have vanished into thin air. She asked a house-elf to look for the child; however, at breakfast time, several house-elves approached her in the Great Hall, stating that they had not been able to find her daughter in the castle.

"Perhaps Ronald knows something?" Albus had the gall to suggest.

Molly glared at the old wizard, however, was desperate enough to head to the Slytherin table to ask her son if he had seen his sister.

"No Mum," Ronald replied, munching on his scrambled eggs as he spoke. "Perhaps she left because of my Sorting into Slytherin," he added, grimly.

"I don't think so, and even if so, it wouldn't be your fault anyway," Molly replied, before she returned to the high table, recalling her unwanted conversation with the Sorting Hat from the night.

**_Beginning of memory_**

"I made a grave mistake. I should have sorted you into Slytherin all that time ago," the Hat shouted into her ears. "Your son is a Slytherin because of having inherited your traits."

"I'm a Gryffindor, just like all the Prewitts and Weasleys were," Molly shouted back.

"A Gryffindor wouldn't slip someone a love potion just to make him produce seven children with her," the Hat growled, before he began to scream into her ears.

In lack of a proper response, Molly chose to just scream back in anger.

_End of memory_

Only three days later, when the post owls arrived on time for breakfast and one of them carried a red letter for the headmistress, did the whole school get to know what happened to her daughter.

_'Can't they just leave me in peace with their Howlers, especially in front of everyone?'_ Molly thought, not even considering that she had been sending Howlers to her former husband on a daily basis for years.

As soon as she unfolded the parchment, her daughter's voice began to shout at her.

_'Mum, just how stupid are you? How dare you cast the incendio spell at the Sorting Hat, just because Ron was stupid enough to let himself be sorted into Slytherin? The Hat is an old artefact and can't be killed. Even I know that, although I'm not even a first-year yet. Just so you know and don't worry about me, I'm now living at the MAMA together with the rest of the Weasleys. They even have classes for ten-year-olds, and I'm in a class together with Luna. Oh, well, I guess I have to say thanks for forcing me to make a good decision. Take good care of Ron, so he won't end up here, too, as he won't fit into the MAMA.'_

While most of the students were snickering by now, her colleagues eyed her in apparent amusement, and Molly could not help her face heat up in anger.

"Children," she mumbled, sighing, glad that the students chose that moment to rise from their chairs in a huge ruckus.

HP

Later the same evening, when the extended family minus the new first-years was having tea in the parlour, Lily showed everyone the memory that Hogwarts had sent her.

"It's good to see Mum getting what she uses to send to everyone," Bill was the first to comment.

Ginny could not help blushing. "Thanks Dad for showing me how to send a Howler," she spoke up in a small voice.

"Ginny," Lily spoke up, gently, "how is life at the MAMA so far?"

Ginny cast her a huge smile. "I love it. It's much brighter than life at Hogwarts, and I'm glad that we have the primary school classes. It's just a bit sad that everyone returns home before dinner," she replied, brightly.

"We could attend dinner together with the first-years," Dorea spoke up. "I'm sure they won't mind."

With a flick of her wand, Lily cast a Patronus to Harry, Neville and Inu, asking them to join them in their rooms for a moment.

Ten minutes later, the trio arrived, looking at her, wide-eyed.

"Would the three of you mind Ginny and Dorea having dinner at the first-years' table together with you?" Lily asked straight away.

"Of course not…"

"… Just join us whenever you want," Harry and Neville replied, instantly, while Inu proceeded to assure Ginny and Dorea by licking their hands.

"Thanks Harry, Neville and Inu," Ginny replied, smiling at Dorea.

"My brothers are the best," Dorea replied, returning the smile.

HP

The trio just loved their classes, even if they found some classes – such as Charms or Transfiguration – too easy, because the teachers had to take in consideration that half of the class, who had not attended their primary school, consisted of beginners.

Ever since they had become Mini Unspeakables, Inu had practised using his wand – the Elder wand –, and had by now become proficient enough to manage all the transfigurations and charms that the teachers demanded of them. The only class, in which he did not participate but watch from the teacher's desk, was Potions, as Lily, Severus and Harry had decided that it would be too dangerous for him to handle ingredients let alone brew potions.

However, Inu did not mind. As long as he was allowed to be in the classroom with his familiar, he was happy, and he felt very proud to be able to practise together with the students in every other class.

Unbeknownst to everyone but Harry and Neville, Inu used the Potions classes to eagerly attempt changing his left front paw into the brown wing of an earth phoenix.

The new first-years AKA Mini Unspeakables only had time to train with the Unspeakables during the weekends. However, in contrary to the primary school, classes were interesting enough, so that the eleven-year-olds did not feel inclined to complain about the matter.

HP

It was during the third week of school that Harry wondered where Inu was. At dinnertime, the canine was not sitting under the table as usual.

"There!" Neville suddenly blurted out, pointing to the spot, where Fawkes was usually perched on one of the torches during meal times.

Fawkes was there, however, the phoenix was not alone but in the company of another phoenix. It was brown with black and white spots that immediately reminded Harry of Inu.

"He managed the Animagus transformation," Harry blurted out in amazement. "How cool is that!"

"I think that warrants for an Animagus night, don't you think so?" Susan suggested. "We could celebrate into Hermione's birthday out in the park tonight."

"That's a brilliant idea," Hermione immediately agreed.

"Yeah, it's better tonight than tomorrow night, because the adults might suspect something in the evening of her birthday but not the night before," Draco added, smirking.

"Will you please teach me how to become an Animagus?" Ginny spoke up, giving Harry a pleading look.

"Me too," Dorea added, glaring at her brothers.

"All right…"

"We can do that…"

"… on Sunday morning after breakfast…"

"… in our room," the twins replied, smirking.

"I'll take you there," Dorea promised her new friend.

"No, you won't," Daphne spoke up from opposite of Harry, glaring at them. "For seven years, we've been your classmates, and you never told us about being Animagi let alone include us in your training. You will instruct all of us in the common room, won't you?"

"All right, we will," Harry promised, grinning.

"You're very welcome to join us in our common room and attend the training," Daphne then turned to Ginny and Dorea, who nodded in apparent understanding.

Harry rolled his eyes towards Neville, mouthing, "Girls."

As soon as dinner was over, Harry and Neville made their way into their own room and called Gina to ask the house-elves to prepare everything for them for an Animagus party next to the lake, and the head house-elf promised to arrange for everything enlisting Dobby's and Teddy's assistance.

They also invited Charlie and the Weasley twins for their Animagi party, and the three older boys happily accepted the invitation.

HP

At midnight, the whole first-year class headed outside to have a party next to the lake to celebrate Hermione's birthday. The house-elves had overdone themselves and put out a table that was loaded with delicacies which were mouth-watering. Charlie, who was now a seventh-year and head boy, quickly cast a silencing charm around the whole group as well as the lake to prevent them from being heard from the house.

Only when everyone felt completely full, those who were not Animagi headed back to their dormitories, while the Animagi continued to spend the night in the park.

Harry and Inu occasionally changed between their forms, spending a while flying around the park and the manor together with Hermione, Christa and the twins, before they chose to play hide and seek with their brother in their canine forms.

They only headed inside on time to get ready for breakfast.

HP

Molly Prewitt really missed her daughter. As much as it had hurt, when her sons had turned away from her in favour of her former husband, she would never forget the day, when her daughter had left her. _'She called me stupid,'_ she recalled. _'I probably was stupid. I should have put my family over my loyalty to Albus, but there's nothing that I can do now to reverse things. I only have Ronald left.'_

During the following weeks, she felt depressed. _'At least Albus is teaching his classes by himself again,'_ she thought in relief, as she had not enjoyed teaching his Transfiguration classes.

It was on a cold winter day at the beginning of December, when she received a letter that was completely unexpected.

_'Headmistress Prewitt,  
it has come to my attention that you need a new professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts for the next school year. Herewith, I apply for the position._

_My family was a side family to the Hufflepuff family, who immigrated to Germany in the late 16th century. In my possession, I have the knitting needles of Helga Hufflepuff, which I believe should belong to Hogwarts as the centre of her work. I would also like to make the experience of working at your school for a year. I belong to the German Auror team, and my employer granted me one year of personal leave in case I worked at Hogwarts during this time.  
If you agree to my employment at your school for a year, I will donate the needles to Hogwarts._

_Yours sincerely  
Daniel Maier'_

Molly's eyes widened upon reading the letter. _'The needles of Helga Hufflepuff,'_ she thought in delight. _'Oh, I just have to convince Albus to hire that person.'_

In her excitement, she was unable to wait for an occasion to speak with her deputy in private and read the letter to her colleagues in the staff meeting that took place after the last afternoon class.

"I'm not sure if the needles are what Mr. Maier promised, but his references and curriculum vitae look well enough to hire him for a year, especially considering how difficult it is to find an adequate Defence Against the Dark Arts professor," Albus replied, thoughtfully, causing Molly to inwardly jubilate.

_'I'm going to send my children hand-made sweaters for Christmas made by the knitting needles of Helga Hufflepuff,'_ she thought in delight.

HP

Hogwarts silently groaned at the stupidity of her headmistress. '_How can she say something like that in front of her colleagues, including dubious people such as Quirinus Quirrell or thieves such as Mundungus Fletcher,' _she thought, incredulously. _'It could be Helga's needles indeed, as I remember that girl, Clarissa, taking them with her, when she left the school and probably the country shortly later.'_

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "The stuttering professor"._


	28. The stuttering professor

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

During the last two weeks before the Christmas holidays, the midterm tests took place. While the written tests were set in the morning, they had to take turns doing their practical tests during the afternoons.

While Inu was somehow able to read by now, he was unable to write, and he had not mastered a spell to have his replies written onto a parchment by magic. Therefore, every day, when the practical exams were over, Sirius sat down with Inu and went through the first-years' test of the day with him, as he was the only adult able to comprehend dog talk.

_'How boring,'_ Inu thought. _'The practical tests are at least somehow interesting, but just sitting down answering questions is more than stupid. I'd rather go for a run along the shore with Padfoot.'_ He knew better than to complain, however, glad that he was allowed to attend classes together with his twins in contrary to all the other animals, such as cats, birds etc., living in the school.

At least, when they were finished, which usually did not take long in the teacher's opinion, even if Inu disagreed in that point, he received a bone to enjoy during the evening.

HP

The adults of the extended family were not surprised, when their children, the Mini Unspeakables, received best grades in their first-year tests; however, Lily felt extremely proud of her other baby, when Inu scored as high as his siblings.

"He'll be able to pass at least his Transfiguration OWL with a top grade, considering that he's a phoenix Animagus," James informed her.

"Oh right, we all received thirty points in our exams for the Animagus transformation," Lily recalled. _'Ahh, even if I see the children every day in class or at meal times, I'm looking forward to having them at home during the holidays,'_ she thought, smiling in anticipation.

Her good mood, however, suddenly vanished, when Hogwarts contacted her through telepathy. 'Lily dear, please gather your family in the staff room. I've shared a memory with Rowena, which she will show you. Once again, I'm going to require your help.'

Lily rose from the sofa, where she was sitting between her children Dorea and Charlus. "Hogwarts just contacted me," she spoke up in a no-nonsense voice, which even the Marauders used to understand. "Rowena is going to show us a memory in the staff room."

"Oh Merlin, what did they do now?" Minerva blurted out in apparent exasperation, as they headed to the staff room together.

HP

When they arrived in the staff room, Rowena was already waiting for them alone in the painting of the four ancient witches and wizards.

"Hogwarts showed us a memory, which you need to see," she greeted them, waving her wand, as soon as they took their seats.

The area next to her in the painting changed to a white background, where she made the memory appear.

**_Beginning of memory_**

They found themselves in what seemed to be a teacher's office at Hogwarts. Quirinus Quirrell, whom they knew to be the current Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, was sitting behind his desk, slowly taking off his turban.

_'I wonder why he's wearing that thing,'_ Lily thought in disgust, only to be taken aback, when a raspy voice suddenly spoke up.

"Quirrell, I suppose you know what to do."

"Y…yes…. Ma… Master," the professor stuttered, seemingly frightened.

"The bitch of a headmistress has received the needles of Helga Hufflepuff," the voice continued. "I need them."

"Y… Yes… Ma… Master," Quirrell confirmed.

"Stupid," James growled. "I've known him for years, and he never stuttered before."

Several of their colleagues nodded in confirmation. "That's extremely strange. I wonder why," Sirius uttered.

When Quirrell slightly turned around, Lily could see an ugly face hanging out from the back of his head and joined in the collective gasp of her family.

"Go and get them at midnight tonight!" the voice instructed the professor, who let out a small shudder before repeating his earlier response.

"And already stop that stuttering," the voice all but growled.

"Yes Master," Quirrell responded, firmly.

"And when you're in the headmistress' office, look out for the sword of Gryffindor," the voice added. "I'm sure that Dumbledore is keeping it somewhere around that office."

With that, Quirrell rose from the chair and left the office in favour of what Lily assumed had to be his private quarters.

_End of memory_

"When did that scene occur?" James asked, sharply.

"Earlier this evening," Rowena replied, sighing. "Hogwarts alerted us immediately afterwards.

"Is Quirrell possessed by someone?" Narcissa enquired in apparent disbelief.

"Could that be Voldemort?" Remus added, pensively.

"Yeah, probably," Sirius said, grimly.

"What?" Frank blurted out in apparent shock.

"It is possible," Arcturus admitted and, looking at Frank, added, "He's found a way to come back by making Horcruxes, which I suppose is why he wants these two remaining items of the founders of Hogwarts."

"Helga's needles and Godric's sword," Alice added, thoughtfully.

"To make more Horcruxes," Remus gasped in apparent disbelief.

"We'll be ready," Arcturus said, grimly. "We've already destroyed most if not all of the others."

"I wished we were still able to charm the gargoyle in front of Godric's office to kick his dirty butt," Helga growled, when she rejoined Rowena in the painting.

"Just tell us how to do that, and we'll see to it," James replied, grimly, causing Lily to nod her agreement.

"What does Hogwarts want us to do?" she spoke up, thoughtfully, thinking, _'We should go to Hogwarts and try to stop him in any case.'_

They discussed the matter for a while, before Lily, James and Arcturus decided to head to Hogwarts shortly before midnight the same evening. _'It's almost eleven now anyway,'_ she realised in surprise.

"Let's take the dog hero with us, and if necessary, my colleagues apart from the minis can be there in a blink," Arcturus suggested, pensively.

Lily nodded in determination. "Fawkes," she called the phoenix, knowing that he would listen to her calling.

An instant later, the bird appeared in a bright flash.

"Thanks for coming, Fawkes," Lily addressed him. "Could you please send Inu over? I don't want to send him a Patronus to not wake Harry up, as I'm sure they're sleeping together."

#I'll wake the young busybody,# Fawkes promised, and Lily realised in surprise that she was able to comprehend the bird's response.

"How come that I can suddenly understand you?" she asked in confusion.

#I'm a phoenix, the king of all birds,# Fawkes trilled, fluffing his back feathers, #and it's my turn to decide if I allow a lowly dove, owl or eagle to comprehend my babbling.# With that, the phoenix flashed away, leaving the humans to stare at the empty spot in awe that turned into surprise, when Lily translated the bird's words.

"What an arrogant git," Bill blurted out. "I thought phoenixes were so good."

"Well, Harry told me last summer that Fawkes didn't behave well towards Hermione," Lily recalled, "because she was only an eagle as he said according to Harry."

=Yeah, but that was because he wanted to take the phoenixes to phoenix land, and an eagle wouldn't be able to go there,= Inu, who had just dashed into the room on time to hear Bill and her, explained, and Arcturus quickly translated.

"Since when can you understand Inu?" Lily asked, staring at the old wizard in bewilderment.

"Ever since I learned from your son that it was possible to have a second Animagus form and became a canine Animagus," Arcturus admitted, smirking. "If I allow a doggy to be a member of my group, I must be able to communicate with him," he added, matter-of-factly, causing everyone to nod in apparent amazement.

HP

Lily cradled Inu close, as she followed James and Arcturus through the fireplace into the founders' quarters at Hogwarts.

"Thank you so much for coming so quickly," Hogwarts spoke up, when they reached the parlour. "Professor Quirrell is still in his private quarters."

"We're going to watch the gargoyle," James informed the castle. "Arcturus will put us under invisibility charms."

"That's better," Hogwarts agreed. "He is good at Defence and has a dangerous guest with him."

"Exactly," Arcturus spoke up, grimly.

The old Unspeakable turned himself invisible before casting invisibility charms at the Potters, making sure that they still could see each other, and motioned Inu to do the same.

A moment later, Inu was invisible as well.

"Very good," Arcturus commended the dog. "Now can you make yourself visible again only to your mother and myself?"

It took a few seconds, before the canine slowly morphed back into view.

"Well done," Arcturus said. "James, can you see him?"

"Nope," James replied in a firm voice. "Inu, that was well done."

"Shall we go then?" Lily suggested. "We need to check where to hide, before he arrives."

The four traipsed through the otherwise dormant castle, until they reached the gargoyle that was guarding the headmistress' office.

"Perhaps we should speak with the gargoyle. If it will let us in, we should hide behind it, and we could also explain the situation and ask it to not allow Quirrell entrance," James whispered, and Lily full-heartedly agreed.

"I'll speak with the gargoyle," she suggested and stepped in front of the gargoyle that immediately jumped aside.

"Thank you," she said, warmly. "Now, we received notice that Professor Quirrell, who is possessed by Voldemort, is going to try to steal items of the founders from the headmistress' office, and we came to prevent him from doing so."

"Come in and hide inside," the gargoyle responded. "Shall I let the professor in if he gives me the correct password?"

"Please don't let him in," Lily replied in a firm voice. "As the owner of Hogwarts, we request that you to keep him out."

"Understood. I will keep Professor Quirrell out," the gargoyle confirmed.

"Thank you very much," Lily replied and let out a relieved sigh, noticing in amusement that Inu stood on his hind paws, put his front paws against the gargoyle and gently licked it to express his gratitude.

An instant later, a light buzz sounded through the corridor, when the Sorting Hat suddenly showed up and settled onto Inu's head with a thud.

=Ah, what are you good for nothing hat doing on my head again?= Inu all but growled, and Arcturus quickly translated.

"I'm only here to help if help is required. If you need Godric's sword, it can be pulled out of me," the Hat replied, quietly, "and now sit quietly, Dog Hero. Be careful that you don't kick me off."

=Shhhh,= Inu suddenly informed them. =He's coming.=

It still took several seconds, before they could see the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Together, they observed how Quirrell, who was now wearing his turban again, approached the gargoyle. "Kni… knitting needles," the professor told the gargoyle, which, however, did not budge. "Knitting needles," Quirrell repeated, sounding slightly impatient. However, the gargoyle remained, where it was.

"Knitting needles. That's the password, and now open," a second voice, which they had heard in the memory earlier, spoke up – to no avail.

"Is th.. th.. the passw… www… word wrong?" Quirrell enquired.

"No, but I'm not going to open for thieves," the gargoyle replied without any emotion.

"I'm a pro… prof… fessor here," Quirrell emphasized, slowly getting angry.

"You're harbouring a criminal," the gargoyle replied, just when Quirrell raised his wand at it.

Seeing the professor raise his wand at the gargoyle, Inu jumped up at the gargoyle and down in front of it to attack the wizard, kicking the Sorting Hat off, as he went.

Lily held her breath, when Inu raised the Elder wand.

"That's the dog," the second voice suddenly shouted in apparent panic. "Kill him, before he kills us."

Not wavering for a moment, Inu pointed the Elder Sand at the wizard, who now in turn raised his own wand at him, and cast a stunning spell at Quirrell, the Elder Wand cancelling the killing curse sent by the professor.

When the professor fell to the ground in defeat, Inu bit him left and right, eager to reach the man's bloodstream with his teeth thus making the possessing spirit flee in apparent agony.

Together, they observed how a black cloud left from the professor's head, vanishing through the nearest wall.

"That went well," Arcturus stated, contentedly. "Well done, Dog Hero."

"What are we going to do with Quirrell?" Lily asked in concern. "Do you want to just leave him here?"

"Just leave him. I shall alert the headmistress," the gargoyle promised, and, uttering their thanks, the four residents of the MAMA returned to the founders' quarters with the Sorting Hat riding on Inu's head.

=The professor should be all right,= Inu informed them, once they reached the founders' quarters, only to add, =I'm not a murderer you know.=

"Thank you very much for what you did tonight," Lily replied in a soft voice, once Sopho had translated Inu's barks, before Arcturus even got around to it.

=Thanks Hat,= Inu barked, before he playfully kicked his companion off again.

"Dog Hero, you're evil," the Hat growled, good-naturedly.

HP

Harry was extremely excited. Right now, he and his friends were attending the Leaving feast before their first holidays ever since they had become first-year students. On the one hand, he was sad to see his friends go home for two weeks, even if he had experienced the same situation ever since they had been four-year-olds. On the other hand, he was looking forward to Christmas and to how his family would react to their presents.

During his private tutoring with Severus, while the twins had brewed a series of joke candies, he had brewed assorted packs of chocolates for his extended family. Just like Berty Botts Beans, the chocolates were filled with all kinds of different ingredients that gave them exotic tastes. He had to admit to himself that he felt proud of his self-made gifts. The only problem was that Inu was not allowed to eat chocolate, as chocolate was toxic for dogs. He had asked Gina and Dobby for an advice, and Gina had helped him bake special biscuits for dogs, made from wheat, eggs, olive oil and carrots. '_I just hope Inu will like them,'_ Harry thought, while he absentmindedly ate his dinner.

HP

Inu did not just like the biscuits – he absolutely loved them, and by the time Harry was finished opening his own Christmas presents, the box with biscuits was already half empty.

To everyone's surprise, the six Weasley children, including Bill, who had already been a teacher at the MAMA for more than a year, all received hand-knitted sweaters from their mother.

"According to Mum, she knitted them using the knitting needles of Helga Hufflepuff," Ginny stated, wide-eyed, after reading her mother's letter. "Dad, has she completely gone nuts now?"

"I don't think so," Lily spoke up. "I've heard that they're keeping Helga's knitting needles in the headmistress' office at Hogwarts."

"She must be desperate to knit sweaters for all six of them," Arthur spoke up in a small voice. "Somehow, I feel bad for her, almost as if I had wronged her badly."

Ginny shook her head. "No Dad, you haven't," she said, warmly. "Mum made a huge mistake. She chose Professor Dumbledore over all of us, but she never realised it."

"Wise words coming from our little sister," Charlie spoke up, gently pulling the ten-year-old into a hug.

"Perhaps we could invite her here and see how she'll fare without Dumbledore nearby," Percy suggested, glancing at his father.

"What would she do here?" Sirius asked, wide-eyed, glaring at the fifth-year student.

"She won't leave Ron alone at Hogwarts anyway," Ginny replied, sighing, "and he wouldn't be able to adjust here."

"I have an idea," Bill spoke up, thoughtfully, as he let his eyes wander around the extended family.

"And what might that be?" James asked, grimly.

_'As much as can understand Arthur, I'm not sure if I want Molly Prewitt here,'_ Lily thought, inwardly groaning, as she gently petted Inu's belly. _'I thought the Weasleys were all hiding here from her.'_

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Molly Prewitt" (probably; not sure yet)._


	29. Molly Prewitt

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

"If, and I mean only if, Mum wants to leave Dumbledore's side at Hogwarts, you could offer her a position as a professor for Housekeeping," Bill suggested, giving James and Minerva a questioning look.

Everyone remained pensive for a few minutes, before Minerva finally spoke up.

"Housekeeping would indeed be a subject to possibly consider."

"It would be highly interesting, not only for the upper years," Amelia agreed, thoughtfully. "Especially for those growing up at the MAMA that's swamped with house-elves," she added, glancing at Susan, who was engrossed in a new book together with Christa.

"But Molly Prewitt?" Sirius asked, incredulously. "She's been sending us Howlers on a daily basis for years."

"She actually stopped sending them on the day after Ginny arrived here," James spoke up and, seeing everyone stare at him in clear disbelief, explained, "Gina is listing up all mail, which for some reason remains undelivered, on a daily basis. I must be aware of what's happening at the school," he added, matter-of-factly.

'_She really is the best elf one could imagine,'_ Lily thought, feeling very proud of their head house-elf as well as of her husband, who always kept a clear head.

Arthur cleared his throat, before he slowly began to speak. "Apparently, Ginny fleeing to the MAMA has woken her up. She actually wrote me a letter, which is the first letter I received from her in years. Everything else must have been Howlers and was retained by the kind elves."

A collective gasp followed his announcement, and Arthur seemed slightly hesitant, as he continued to speak. "She apologized for putting me under a love potion going back as far as our Hogwarts days."

"She what?" Sirius blurted out in apparent anger.

"I've suspected that she did it for a long time," Arthur continued, calmly, ignoring the younger wizard's outburst. Anyway, why I'm telling you this is that I believe that she has begun to think about what she did and that she's showing remorse. This doesn't mean, however, that you have to offer her a position here, even if I feel sorry for her."

Minerva let out a deep sigh. "Lily and James, what do you think?" she enquired.

Lily shook her head. "This is just a bit sudden," she admitted. "Right now, I can't imagine working together with her. If you're all for it, I won't hinder you though."

She inwardly sighed in relief, when James spoke up, seeming as calm as always in times of trouble.

"Why don't we just wait and see for a while?" he suggested. "If Dumbledore does as much as hire another professor who's possessed by Voldemort, Lily and I are going to close Hogwarts anyway. When that time comes, we can reconsider, but right now, I don't think that any urgent action is required. Molly is still in the position, which she and Dumbledore chose for herself, so I don't see a problem here right now."

"That's true," Arthur said, warmly. "Thank you for even considering the matter. That's all I can ask for."

_'Thank Merlin,' _Lily thought, as everyone returned to occupying themselves with their presents.

HP

A few days later, Harry and the Weasley twins headed to the Ministry of Magic to take their Potions OWL. Originally, the OWL had been scheduled for December 22; however, due to one of the ministry examiners being sick, it had been rescheduled to December 29.

A very old wizard oversaw their theoretical test, which took place during the morning. "A first year?" he asked, frowning, as he eyed Harry over his frameless spectacles. "You can't wait to finish school, can you?"

"No sir, it's not that; it's just that first-year Potions classes are boring," Harry replied, honestly, and the twins eagerly showed their agreement by bobbing their heads up and down.

To his relief, the theoretical part was quite easy, and all three of them finished their tests thirty minutes before the scheduled end of the part.

When they left the examination room, Lily was waiting for them together with Inu, who alternately jumped up at them licking their faces with fervour.

"How was the test?" she enquired, smiling, causing the boys to utter a triple "Easy."

"That's good," Lily replied, smiling. "I told you that you didn't have to worry about it. The practical part will go well, too."

To Harry's surprise, his mother took them to a muggle restaurant for lunch, in which dogs were allowed. Each of them devoured a whole pizza with Inu receiving the occasional piece from the three boys.

"Don't give him too much," Lily warned them. "Pizza isn't good for dogs."

=Is it better for phoenixes?= Inu enquired, before he transformed into his Animagus form, only to add, #At least it's delicious in any form.#

Convinced that they were unable to stomach any further piece of pizza, the three boys returned to the exam room for their practical test.

_'I hope this will be as easy as the theoretical part,' _Harry thought, as he said good-bye to Inu and his mother and entered the room behind the twins.

Each of them had to brew a different potion; however, all three potions were healing potions, which they had already brewed by themselves or assisted Severus with the brewing for Poppy multiple times.

_'That was easy,'_ Harry thought, contentedly, as he stepped into the fireplace to return to the MAMA.

HP

It was a week later, on the third day of classes that Harry was sitting back to back with Ginny at lunchtime and overheard a whispered conversation between her and her best friend Luna.

"They were talking about possibly hiring Mum as a teacher for Housekeeping," Ginny told her friend in apparent excitement.

"It would be good for your mother to get out of Dumbledore's influence," Luna replied, airily, only to add, "I think he's keeping her under a spell. She wasn't as strange, when she was still living at home."

"Do you really think so? How do you know that?" Ginny asked, sounding alert.

"I just know," Luna replied, calmly, causing Harry to turn around in surprise, only to realise that the two girls had no idea that they were being overheard let alone watched from behind.

'Inu,' he thought to his familiar, 'can you tell Sirius that Luna thinks Dumbledore is keeping Ginny's mum under a spell please?'

Slowly rising from his favourite spot on Harry's feet, Inu nodded and trotted over to the teachers' table to inform the only professor who could understand his canine talk.

HP

Meanwhile at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore took his seat at the high table, glad that the morning classes were over giving him some time to ponder what had been bothering him ever since that very morning. The Daily Prophet had informed the magical world in a small side article about the people, who had taken their OWLs at the Ministry of Magic shortly before the end of the year.

_'Fred and George Weasley and Harry Potter,'_ he recalled in disbelief. 'At _least Harry is only a first-year, that's for sure, and the twins can't be much older. Just two years if I'm not mistaken. Is that MAMA school so much better than ours?'_ he wondered, as he chased a small piece of carrot around his plate.

_'I really need to do something to improve the reputation of Hogwarts,' _he resolved. _'All the Daily Prophet wrote about Hogwarts recently was that Molly received Helga Hufflepuff's needles, and I'm not even sure if they're authentical. We're not a housekeeping school but the best school for magic in Britain,'_ he thought, grimly. _'Molly should know that she's only a puppet and can't attract so much attention with her nonsense.'_

Unfortunately, his colleagues managed to distract him, efficiently preventing him from making any actual plans; however, he resolved to do some research, as soon as the last Transfiguration class for the day was over.

HP

After lunch, Lily kept Harry back. Casting a silencing spell around themselves, she told him, "Thanks for informing us. I don't know if you're aware of it, but Luna is my godchild, and she is a Seer."

"Like you, Mum?" Harry asked, wide-eyed. "How come that you never told me that she's your goddaughter, when she came here to the primary school?"

"Oh dear, I've told you that before, but maybe you were too small to understand it and forgot about it already. And yes son, similar to myself," Lily replied, smiling. "Therefore, as far-fetched as it sounds, there might be some truth behind her statement, but we'll find out eventually. I'll speak with Hogwarts during the weekend."

"All right, Mum," Harry replied in understanding, before he hurried after his friends, who were waiting for him in front of the atrium.

_'He really has grown up,'_ Lily thought, as she proudly looked after her son, as he ran out of the room, _'even if he's still only eleven.'_

HP

'_Luna seems nice even if a little strange,'_ Harry thought, as he followed his friends out into the park to head to the greenhouses for their Herbology class.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione enquired, giving him a sharp look.

"Yeah, sure," Harry replied, smiling upon realising that Eagle was perched on the girl's shoulder. "Hi Eagle, are you going to accompany us to the greenhouse, driving Professor Sprout nuts again?" he addressed the bird.

#Can't leave all the fun to Mr. Naughty now, can we?# Eagle replied, receiving a reprimanding look from Hermione in return.

"Mr. Naughty?" Harry enquired, giving the girl a questioning look.

"Fawkes," Hermione whispered back, as they just entered the classroom.

_'Oh right, we should ask Fawkes to take the phoenix Animagi to Phoenix Land again sometime during the weekend,'_ Harry thought, as he absentmindedly sat next to Neville and took his Herbology book out of his book bag.

HP

Now that Harry had taken his Potions OWLs, Severus made him brew the same concoctions as his sixth-year students. However, due to the fact that the NEWT level potions were more complex than those for the first-years, he often had to put his cauldron under a stasis charm and continue after the last afternoon class, when he regularly met with the Weasley twins, who were in the same situation.

"You know, Harry," they told him one day shortly before the end of the school year.

"We have an idea…"

"As we should be able to finish our Potions mastery…"

"… at the same time as our NEWTs in the other subjects…"

"… we could try to open a joke shop in Dragonsedge…"

"… if we can find an affordable place."

Harry cast the twins a broad smile. "That's a brilliant idea," he commended them, "and I'm sure that Dad, Sirius, Remus and Severus will support such a project. You should speak with Dad and Sirius about it. They'll be all for it, and maybe they can begin looking for a place at an early time. I'm sure they will financially support you."

The twins nodded in agreement and resolved to speak with James Potter at the earliest possibility.

"Thank Merlin Mum isn't here…"

"… She'd never support such a project…"

"… in contrary to Dad," they added, grinning.

"Even if I can't support you by any financial means, I can help with the brewing if you need my assistance," Harry promised his friends, sincerely.

"Thanks Harry…"

"… Rest assured…"

"… that we'll never refuse…"

"… the assistance of a junior Marauder," the twins replied, pleasantly.

_'It's a brilliant idea,'_ Harry thought in amazement, _'and they will be fantastic at it. I don't have any plans for the time after my NEWTs yet,'_ he mused, as he absentmindedly stirred his potion seven and a half times counter clockwise_. 'I only want to study potions, because I can do it and to possibly assist Mum and Severus with research required to cure people, like they could help Remus, Alice and Frank in the past.'_

HP

=You're late,= Inu scolded him, when he entered the first-year common room shortly before curfew.

=Sorry Inu, I'm late, because I talked with the Weasley twins for a while,= Harry replied, as he changed into his canine form to please his familiar. =Did I miss anything?=

=No,= Inu replied, waggling his tail in a movement, which Harry understood as exasperation. =Some of them are really stupid. Hermione tried to explain the Transfiguration homework to Vincent and Gregory three or four times, before they understood what we have to do,= the dog added, letting out a small sigh.

=Oh well, they've always been the thickest,= Harry replied, as he cuddled close to his canine twin on the sofa next to Neville.

"Harry," Susan suddenly addressed him, "we just decided to have another Animagi night on Saturday. Are you in?"

=Of course,= Harry woofed, eagerly nodding his head in agreement.

"I think we should invite the professors," Neville spoke up, looking up from his Charms homework.

"That would have the merit that we could spent some quality time in the park," Christa added, thoughtfully.

"Let's speak with Professor Hooch, when she comes here," Draco suggested.

"You're so lucky. I wished I could already transform into my cat form and join you all," Daphne spoke up, letting out a long sigh.

"You'll manage," Susan said in a soothing voice. "It took us ages, too."

"Exactly," Hermione concurred, just when Rolanda Hooch entered the room and listened to their excited babbling.

"A wonderful idea," she replied in apparent enthusiasm. "Do you mind if I invite my colleagues as well?"

"Please do so," Neville was the first to reply. "We'll probably spend the evening in the park divided into the various groups of animals, before we're going to sleep here in the common room together."

HP

On Saturday evening right after dinner in the atrium, approximately thirty animals of various species headed outside into the park, where they split into groups. While Fawkes and Eagle led the birds on a flight in the direction of Dragonsedge, Harry joined the mammals in the park in his canine form.

After putting up a mock fight together with Neville and Inu against Sirius, the four canines chose to follow James' lead, who was guiding the mammals around the park in his stag form.

They had much fun hiding and chasing each other, before they all gathered around the lake, where the house-elves had prepared a surprise barbeque for the various animals.

Harry curiously looked around. Most of the Animagi were well known; however, there were a few, whom he had only seen once but did not know who they were. There was also a brown bear, whom he definitely had not met before. It was almost as large as James in his stag form and was very friendly.

=That bear is a cool form, but who is it?= he asked the other canines.

Neville and Sirius merely shrugged; however, Inu mumbled something like =Doesn't seem to be human at all.=

=Do I seem to be human?= Neville countered, causing Inu to make a ruckus of smelling his canine brother from all sides.

=You smell human,= Inu finally diagnosed, causing Harry to roll his eyes at his twins.

#You should transform into your phoenix form, young nestling, instead of only hanging out with dogs,# Fawkes trilled from a nearby branch. #You must try these phoenix treats. They're delicious.#

'I will go in my phoenix form again the next time,' Harry thought to the bird, knowing that Fawkes was only able to understand him through telepathy, when he was in his canine form.

After the picnic, most of the teachers retired to their private rooms, and only Sirius in his canine form and Rolanda in her squirrel form remained as chaperone to the Animagi.

"Let's have some fun," Sirius announced, suddenly back in his human form. Casting a series of silencing spells around the area, he pointed his wand at a small branch and turned it into a radio that immediately began to broadcast party music. During the following few hours, all the animals moved to the rhythm of the music, phoenixes dancing along with squirrels, cats, dogs and the bear, and after collecting all the spoons from the remaining food plates, even the niffler joined in the dance.

Only when the first rays of the early morning sun could be seen through the trees, Sirius transformed back into his human form and instructed everyone to go to bed.

"This was a fun night, and you may sleep through breakfast for once, but I wish to see you in the atrium for lunchtime," he added in a strict voice that made Harry inwardly chuckle.

_'Only people who don't know Sirius well might be impressed by his strict teacher's voice,'_ he thought in amusement, as he followed his brothers and friends towards the house, realising in surprise that the bear went in the opposite direction.

_'Strange,'_ he thought, shaking his head in confusion.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "_Merlin Strawberry WOS 1.0_"._


	30. Merlin Strawberry WOS 10

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

_A.N. Still several of my kind readers who use to leave a review have not read the last chapter, but knowing that many people need distractions in these times, I post the next chapter now. Please leave a review to keep my muse motivated and go back to chapter 29, which I posted the day before yesterday, if you missed it. Enjoy :)_

* * *

To the teachers' surprise, the seven Mini Unspeakables joined them for breakfast in the atrium.

"I thought you would be asleep," Lily quipped, as she came over to the first-years' table.

"No, we have Unspeakables' training," Neville replied, yawning, causing their mother to nod in understanding.

Harry tiredly ate some fruits, before he was alerted by Hermione's loud gasp that there was news in the Daily Prophet.

"Did you see the bear last night?" the girl spoke up in apparent excitement. "Here, it says the Circus of the Headless Lion, which is camping at the other side of Dragonsedge, is missing one of their three bears," she explained. "It's the spitting image of the bear that was on our Animagi party last night."

=I told you that he's not human,= Inu spoke up, quickly stealing a piece of bacon from Harry's plate.

"Yeah, Inu said that he wasn't human last night…"

"… but we thought that was a joke," Neville completed Harry's sentence.

"He was very friendly and even danced with us," Susan explained to their non-Animagi classmates.

"Don't you think that it would be job for a group of Mini Unspeakables to look for a lost bear?" James spoke up, as he approached their table.

The six children and Inu quickly rose from their chairs.

"That's right," Hermione was the first to speak.

"Let's go and look for him," Christa added in apparent determination, while Harry telepathically alerted Arcturus to their supposed whereabouts for the next few hours.

"May I accompany you?" Charlie Weasley, the head boy, spoke up, as he stepped over to their table. "I'm a bear Animagus."

HP

A stag, a bear, three dogs, a phoenix, an eagle, a cat and a niffler made their way back into the park, where they searched for the bear.

Harry was not surprised that it was Inu who finally found the large animal, fast asleep under an enormous bush.

_'Of course, his nose is the best of all,' _Harry thought, feeling very proud of his canine twin.

Knowing from the experience of the previous night that the bear was very sociable, the nine animals motioned the bear to follow them. Giggling and playing, they slowly made their way to Dragonsedge, for once walking around the small town instead of crossing it to not give the people roaming the main street a fright.

Charlie and the bear eagerly talked to each other, as they went; however, none of the others was able to understand bear talk.

Together, they led the bear to the Circus of the Headless Lion. Only James transformed into his human form and spoke with someone from the circus, who profusely thanked them for bringing the bear back.

"His name is Anton," he told them, "and he's still young."

"But he's very sociable, and it appears that he and our students had fun together," James replied, smiling.

"Are you an Animagus?" the circus employee asked Charlie, who gave the man a short nod.

Only two days later, James received a letter from the circus along with free tickets for the following Saturday evening show.

"There are enough tickets for the whole first-year class," James announced during lunch, receiving huge applause from the first-years.

HP

After giving out the tickets to the whole first-year class, James had still some tickets left and invited not only Charlie, who had helped them take the bear back, but also Ginny and her friend Luna, who was staying with her at the MAMA over the weekend, to join them at the circus on Saturday evening.

They had VIP seats in the first row, and Harry – with Inu sitting on his shoulder in his phoenix form, as dogs were not allowed in the circus – enjoyed himself greatly.

_'The three bears are really cool, and they must be magical bears,'_ he thought in amazement, as he observed them jump high and juggle baskets filled to the brim with nuts without losing as much as one nut. While the older bears juggled five baskets each, the young bear, which Harry recognised as 'their' bear due to the slightly different colouring on his face, could only juggle three baskets. '_He's still practising_,' he thought in amusement.

An hour into the show, a break was announced, and the circus manager added, "I'd like to ask our Animagi friends, who rescued our Anton the other day, to transform and join us in the ring."

"Dogs it is," Harry mumbled, only for his twins to hear, and waited until Inu had jumped from his shoulder, before he transformed into his dog form after the real canine.

To his surprise, Luna had perfected the transformation and joined the group in a phoenix form with a pastel plumage he had never seen before. _'It's a beautiful form, but what kind of phoenix is she?' _he wondered, resolving to ask the girl later on.

The whole group had much fun playing, and Harry was almost sad, when the end of the break was announced. He let out a gasp upon realising that Charlie remained in his bear form, standing in the ring together with the three bears of the circus. During the next scene, the three bears played around their new companion, only involving him, where it was possible for him without prior practice. A few minutes later, Charlie transformed back into his human form, and the bears took turns to playfully hug him good-bye. He received huge applause, when he returned to his seat next to his younger sister.

"You were amazing," Harry heard Luna whisper to Charlie.

Only when they were on their way back to the school, Charlie told the group that he had received a job offer from the circus. "I think that I'm going to accept it and work together with the circus after my NEWTs," he added. "I wanted to do something with some kind of animals anyway, and at the circus, I have the opportunity to work with multiple species and even spend some time doing stunts with them in my Animagus form."

"I think we've all seen that the job fits you well," Ginny voiced what everyone else thought. "Remember that we need free tickets, whenever the circus comes to Dragonsedge."

Charlie laughed, promising, "And you'll get them."

Anton, the bear, and his circus remained the main topic among the first-years for several weeks, before the end of the year tests began and everyone engrossed themselves in their studies.

HP

At Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore and Molly Prewitt were relieved that with Daniel Maier, they had the first really good Defence Against the Dark Arts professor in decades. Daniel had begun to teach in January, and it seemed that he would still be able to continue after the summer holidays.

"Molly," Albus greeted the headmistress, as he entered her office, of which he still thought as his own. In fact, only Fawkes and Sopho, the Sorting Hat, were missing. Otherwise, Molly had not dared change anything, obviously knowing that he was still the active headmaster, just not officially.

"Albus," Molly greeted him, lowering her knitting needles to view him, questioningly.

"I've thought about how to improve Hogwarts' reputation," he told her, "and I've made a plan. Have you ever heard of the Triwizard Tournament?"

Molly scrunched her forehead in thought, however, did not come up with anything. _'Oh well, for a headmistress, she's shockingly uneducated,'_ he thought in annoyance, before he explained about the events of the past, which had been stopped due to the many deaths they had caused.

"I've decided to hold a Triwizard Tournament here at Hogwarts, provided that we find two other schools willing to participate."

"That sounds like a good idea," Molly replied, seemingly indifferent. "When do you plan to hold the tournament?"

Albus feigned remaining thoughtful for as long as a minute, in spite of the fact that he had already planned out all the details. "Maybe in two years' time," he replied, tentatively.

Molly's thoughts went haywire, and he knew exactly what was going to come.

"Oh by then, Ron will be a fourth year," she stated, eagerly. "Will he be able to participate?"

"No," Albus replied in a firm voice. "Only students from the age of seventeen onwards may participate. Due to the fact that it might be dangerous."

"Oh, all right," Molly agreed in apparent understanding. "Will you contact the other schools, or do you want me…"

"I will," Albus interrupted her. _'Before she comes up with a reason why she has to do it,_' he thought, feeling extremely annoyed at the redhead, even if the loyalty charm, which he had cast at her during her time as a student and had re-cast it every five years, still worked well.

HP

During the school year, Brian usually stayed at Lestrange Manor and only joined Regina and her colleagues during the evenings, when the extended family sat together for tea. However, during the holidays, he often even joined them for mealtimes, especially as their children Christa and Jonathan were almost permanent residents at the school.

On the first day of the summer holidays, Brian addressed the extended family at breakfast.

"Is any of you interested in computer studies?"

"I am," Harry immediately replied without even having to consider the matter. He had already talked with Brian about computers, whenever he had the opportunity to speak with the Squib.

"Me too," Dorea uttered, quickly.

Brian nodded, seemingly contented. "Fact is that I'm quite far developing my Merlin Strawberry, but – as you know – I'm a Squib, and I need someone with magic to help me out with some charms for the WOS. Regina has already assisted some, but she's not really interested in computers.

"The WOS?" Christa asked, giving her father a questioning look.

"The Wizarding Operating System," Brian explained, smiling.

"I will also assist," Lily spoke up. "As a Charms mistress, I might be able to invent some useful charms, which the children can then cast for you."

"Thanks Mum," Harry replied, before he turned back to Brian. "I can only work on the computer project during the afternoons though, as we have Unspeakable training in the mornings."

"That's fine, Harry. Thank you very much," Brian replied, smiling.

HP

From that time onwards, Harry and Dorea travelled to Lestrange Manor every afternoon. At first, they were joined by Lily; however, after three weeks of intensely working on a charm, she managed to efficiently operate the computer by a charm instead of electricity. At the same time, Brian taught the two children everything about computers, the programs, which he had installed on his own, muggle PC, and specifically about the Merlin Strawberry, which was his own invention, derived from personal computers of the muggle world, however, specifically adapted to the needs of the magical world.

"Why Merlin Strawberry?" Dorea asked in apparent confusion, causing Brian to chuckle.

"It could be any other name," he explained, "but Merlin is in relation to the name patron of your school, to which I feel somehow affiliated, and Strawberry," he shrugged, "is because I like strawberries, and because I was just eating some, when I thought about the name. Do you like strawberries?"

Dorea and Harry nodded, eagerly.

"I like the name," Dorea stated, only to add, matter-of-factly, "That's why the computer looks like an overgrown strawberry."

"Yes. When I decided on the name, Regina changed the housing to this form, and the new computers are mere copies of my first one anyway," Brian admitted, causing Harry to smile.

Lily taught her children the charm, so that Harry and Dorea could work with Brian adapting the WOS 1.0 for him. Together, they installed a dozen of Brian's new computers and made them run on the WOS 1.0 by magic, making sure that the magic was taken from their surroundings within the manor and not from their own bodies.

Harry and Dorea found the computer extremely interesting, especially when Brian allowed them to play one of the games, which he had already installed with the help of his wife. Harry and Dorea chose _'The glibbery Snitch'_ and spent a few minutes trying to catch the Snitch using their right hands, before they tried out _'Gringotts cart race'_, which was much fun as well. Other games were _'Animal resuce'_ and '_The exploding cauldron'_; however, Brian reminded them gently that the three of them had to work first and play later.

"Will they work at the MAMA the same way?" Dorea asked one day, causing Brian to smile.

"I hope so," he replied, letting out a small sigh. "Potter Manor should have as much magic as Lestrange Manor. Nevertheless, it would be a good idea if we took one computer with us tonight and just tried it out. I suppose that each of the professors would like to have one, once we teach them what they can do with it."

"I think so, too," Harry agreed, and Dorea nodded in apparent excitement.

"There's another thing that I'd like to do with them," Brian informed them. "The muggles have a thing called the internet. It's still not well known even among muggles. Anyway, I plan to invent a similar thing, the Wizardnet. It would be a method to connect the computers within the magical world for communication measures. It would at least partly replace Floo calls or communication by Patroni – provided that we get it to work."

"Let's try it out," Dorea said with apparent eagerness that made Harry look at his nine-year-old sister in amazement.

_'She's going to be a brilliant witch just like Mum,'_ he thought, feeling very proud of the girl.

HP

When the three stepped into the fireplace to travel to the MAMA on time for dinner that evening, they took one of the overgrown strawberries as Dorea still called them with them as well as a monitor and a keyboard. It was white with red strawberries with the letters from A to Z and numbers from 1 to 0 on them as well as several green leaves that were decorated with various symbols and functions.

"This is our new Merlin Stawberry with WOS 1.0," Brian introduced the computer to the extended family, before Dorea showed everyone how to operate their newest toy.

"For several features, you can either press a combination of keys on the keyboard or simply point your wand at the screen and say a command," Harry added to his sister's explanations and showed the intrigued family how to play one of the pre-installed games – much to everyone's excitement.

"Brian," Arcturus spoke up, pensively, "first of all, you should patent the Merlin Strawberry WOS 1.0. I will help you file the patent with the Ministry of Magic."

"Absolutely," Amelia added in a firm voice.

"Thanks," Brian replied, smiling.

"And secondly," Arcturus continued, "what do we have to do to get at least five of these for the Unspeakables' office?"

"I'd love to have one as well," Amelia added, smirking.

Brian let out a deep sigh.

"I believe," Minerva spoke up, "that we should keep quiet about the matter for the time being. If information about this Merlin Strawberry leaks into the magical world, Brian, Harry and Dorea will have their hands full producing enough computers to please the whole magical worlds. They're going to have to install and charm thousands of these things. In a month's time, school is going to commence again, and Harry and Dorea won't have any more time to assist."

"That's true," Harry agreed, sighing.

"I fully agree with Minerva," Brian said in a firm voice. "I still need to continue developing software and the Wizardnet on top of it. I suggest that we only just place the ten devices we've made by now here at the MAMA for everyone to use here. Do you have a spare room, where we could put ten computers – just for the professors to use?" he enquired.

"No!" Harry and Dorea shouted, simultaneously. "We still want to continue researching, whenever we have time," Harry continued, indignantly.

"Yes, you can of course do that, but I believe that we should keep it within the extended family," James agreed. "If possible, Minerva and I'd like to have one in the head's office though. We can place it under a notice-me-not charm, so that no one but us will be able to see it."

"Oh yes please," Minerva added.

HP

However, when school began, Harry, Neville, Inu, Draco, Hermione, Christa and Susan took it upon themselves to help the new first-years adjust to the MAMA. As Inu was the fastest of all of them, Harry instructed him to lead the first-years from one classroom to the next between classes, feeling very proud, when the canine still managed to reach their own class on time. In the evenings, they helped the first-years with their homework and showed them around the school, so that Harry did not have much time to think about their computer project – much to Dorea's annoyance, which she voiced at every mealtime.

"I'm going to work on the computer with you on Saturday evening," Harry consoled his sister, just before Luna addressed him from behind. "Harry, can we have an Animagi night on Saturday? Christa told me all about it."

_'Oh Merlin, I can't please them all,'_ Harry thought in annoyance, when he recalled Luna's intriguing phoenix form, which he had seen at their visit to the circus.

He stared at the girl in shock upon hearing her next words.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome._

_Next chapter: "Phoenixes and serpents"._


	31. Phoenixes and serpents

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

"Why Harry, I'm a fairy phoenix," Luna said, pleasantly, giving him a dreamy look.

_'Is she able to read my thoughts?'_ Harry thought, horrified, while some part of his mind screamed, _'Her smile is very pretty.'_

"I saw your form at the circus," he managed to voice a reply, as soon as he recovered from his shock. "It's beautiful."

"So do you have time for me on Saturday afternoon then?" Dorea asked, indignantly.

"Yes dear, as soon as I'm back from the Unspeakables' training," Harry promised, inwardly sighing.

"You'll be able to transform soon, too," Luna said to Dorea in a soothing voice, smiling at her.

"I really hope so," the younger girl breathed, returning the smile.

"And the Wizardnet will be brilliant, once you combine the MAMA and PAPA," Luna added, pleasantly, before she turned around and left, causing Harry and Dorea to stare at each other in shock.

"Papa?" Dorea mouthed, wide-eyed.

Harry shook his head wondering why Luna knew about their plans for a Wizardnet, before he recalled that his mother had said something about Luna being a Seer.

"Harry," Dorea changed the topic, just when Harry was about to leave the atrium, "will people despise me because of my Animagus form?"

Harry stared at his sister in shock. "And why would they do such a thing?" he enquired. "An Aesculapian serpent is a beautiful form, and you'll be able to assist Mum and Uncle Severus just like Iro does."

"But Uncle Sirius told me once that people despise snakes and Parselmouths as well," Dorea admitted, hesitantly, causing Harry's eyes to narrow in anger.

"Nonsense," he said in a soothing voice. "Sirius only said so, because he always despised Slytherins at Hogwarts, and they're associated with snakes. People will see how pretty you are, and you're much more useful in your Animagus form than Sirius or I are as dogs."

"You're a phoenix Animagus as well," Dorea reminded him, smiling. "And phoenixes are not only useful, but also recognised as such."

"Oh well, that's that," Harry admitted, "but don't worry. You're doing great, sis," he replied, before he told his sister good-bye and hurried back to the common room after his classmates.

HP

Arthur Weasley retired to his private quarters to think for a little while before heading to the parlour for some quality time with the extended family.

He re-read the letter, which he had received from Charlie that very morning. While he was lucky enough to have his oldest son as a colleague at the MAMA, Charlie had accepted a position at the Circus of the Headless Lion right after his NEWTs. While the circus had made Dragonsedge its home spot, it used to travel all over Britain, especially during the warm summer months, and Arthur could not help missing his always bright son.

_'At least he seems to be extremely happy,'_ he thought, smiling, as he carefully folded the parchment to read it again later on. '_And they'll return to Dragonsedge before Christmas at the latest. Last year, they remained here for weeks from before Christmas.'_

_'I'm becoming sentimental,'_ he scolded himself, when his thoughts wandered to his former wife. _'I can't understand why I felt sorry for her,'_ he thought in confusion. _'How could I even think that it would be a good idea for her to come here and teach at the MAMA? Oh well, it was Christmas at that time, and she gave hand-knitted sweaters to all our children,'_ he recalled. _'Thank Merlin Lily spoke out firmly against her.'_

"Dad," Bill's shouting brought him back to reality. "Let's go and have some tea."

"Coming," Arthur called back and followed his older son out of their rooms, gladly dismissing any thoughts about his former wife.

HP

_'This is too frustrating,'_ Dorea thought, as she sat on the sofa between her mother and Aunt Narcissa, absentmindedly following the adults' conversation about their first Merlin Strawberry, while she intensely tried to transform into her Animagus form.

Granny, Mum, Dad and Harry had told her many times that her Animagus form was much more difficult to achieve than everyone else's. While others could change their left hands, then their right hands, their complete arms, their legs, their body and their head consecutively, a serpent did not have various limbs like all the other animals. It consisted of one single limb, into which she had to transform at once. She had already toyed with the idea of changing her attempted Animagus form to some canine form; however, being a Parselmouth, she had become good friends with Iro and wanted to become a comrade to her mother's familiar.

All of a sudden, a strange feeling shook her body, and while she heard someone scream in apparent panic, her vision expanded greatly. She instinctively slithered down onto the floor, where Iro quickly joined her.

"You did it. You're an Aesssculapian ssserpent," the snake informed her, making Dorea finally realise what had happened.

_'I did it,'_ she thought in amazement, feeling incredibly happy, as she curiously tried to view her own body.

"My, aren't you a beautiful serpent," Granny Minerva said in clear admiration.

"Well done, Dorea," her mother added, smiling, as she held a quickly conjured hand-mirror in front of her, so that she could finally admire the entire of her form.

_'Dark blue with a rainbow-coloured pattern, just as I wanted it,'_ Dorea realised in excitement, letting out a few hisses, which everyone just had to understand as absolute happiness.

"Come, let'sss head into the park for a little while," Iro invited her and, seeing her mother nod in approval, Dorea quickly followed the fellow serpent for a tour through the large park of the school, where they were quickly joined by a couple of garden snakes that admired her colours.

_'And I'm going to participate in the Animagi night on Saturday,'_ Dorea thought, happily, when she transformed back into her human form hours later. _'I'm not going to miss out on them anymore.'_

HP

Needless to say that the two colourful serpents attracted much attention at the Animagi night, as most students were unaware of the fact that Lily Potter was keeping an Aesculapian serpent at the school as her familiar.

#That's Dorea. She managed the transformation,# Luna blurted out, fluffing her back feathers in apparent contentedness, which caused everyone to turn their attention to her beautiful phoenix form.

#Who are you, and what kind of phoenix are you?# Hermione trilled, giving the new phoenix a piercing look.

#I'm Luna, and I'm a fairy phoenix,# Luna replied, spreading a feeling of happiness in her surroundings, as she took off and flashed away.

#I suddenly feel happy,# Hermione voiced what everyone else hovering nearby thought. #Was that Luna's doing?#

#Apparently,# Harry agreed. #While Christa's flashes are accompanied by pieces of ice…#

#...and yours with water,# Fawkes interrupted him, quickly.

#... Luna's seems to cause happiness,# Harry continued, ignoring his mouthy familiar. #Is that even possible?# he asked, incredulously.

#Of course,# Fawkes confirmed, smugly. #That nestling is special.#

#That's amazing,# Hermione trilled, before she took off and flew after Luna.

HP

It was a few weeks later that Minerva suddenly let out a gasp upon reading a letter, which the house-elves had distributed together with all the other mail that had arrived that day at lunchtime.

"Idiot!" she blurted out with her face scrunched in apparent anger.

"Minerva? Who's an idiot?" Lily enquired, incredulously, shaking her head in surprise at her mentor.

"Dumbledore," Minerva replied, shortly. "He sent me a letter inviting the MAMA to participate in a Triwizard Tournament, which he plans to hold at Hogwarts in two years' time."

"What is the Triwizard Tournament?" Dorea asked, frowning.

"That's a very old event, isn't it?" James spoke up.

"It is," Remus was the first to reply. "It took place from about the thirteenth to the eighteenth century, but it was discontinued because of the enormous mortality rate if I remember correctly," the former werewolf added, pensively.

"Dumbledore wants to revive it and said he wanted to invite us before talking to some other schools," Minerva explained, sighing.

"No thanks," James replied in a firm voice.

"My opinion exactly," Minerva agreed, casting her deputy headmaster a small smile.

"Definitely not," Sirius added, and Lily full-heartedly agreed with the overall opinion.

"Very well. I'll send him my letter of refusal tomorrow," Minerva decided, conclusively.

"He must be desperate to resort to such measures," Arthur spoke up, shaking his head in apparent annoyance.

"What other schools are there that might participate?" Lily asked, thoughtfully.

"Ah, there are lots," James replied. "It depends on whether he wants it to be a European contest or a world-wide one. I suppose that the nearest and biggest schools he could invite would be Durmstrang in Bulgaria, the Kilian's School for Magic in Germany or Beauxbatons in France."

Minerva nodded, grimly. "Oh well, I wish them much fun," she replied, her voice laced with sarcasm that made Sirius laugh aloud.

"I wonder what Hogwarts thinks about this," Lily said, pensively. "So far, she didn't say anything."

"We'll ask her on Sunday," James replied, reassuringly.

HP

On Sunday morning, Lily, James and Dorea headed to Hogwarts, who greeted them with apparent enthusiasm as usual.

"Thank you so much for coming to visit an old lady," she addressed the three, as soon as they entered the parlour. "Thanks Dorea for coming. I'm glad that you're still coming. I miss Harry so much."

"Well Hogwarts, Harry is a second-year, and we can't simply take him out of the school on Sundays," Lily explained, sighing. '_It's not as if I wasn't missing Harry, Neville and Inu, too,'_ she thought. "I'll ask him to visit you though, whenever he can get away due to being a Mini Unspeakable," she promised the old castle.

"That's all I can ask for," Hogwarts replied in a soft voice. "Thank you, Lily."

"Hogwarts," James spoke up, questioningly, "what do you think of Dumbledore's plan to hold a Triwizard Tournament here at the school?"

Hogwarts remained quiet for a moment, before she let out a small chuckle and replied, "I'm sure that I'm going to have much fun observing what's going to happen. I just hope that it's not going to be too dangerous. People have died in that thing, even here at the school."

James nodded, grimly. "I suppose that there's nothing that we can do to prevent him from holding the tournament, is there?"

"I'm afraid not, dears," Hogwarts replied, calmly.

"Sorry, Hogwarts, but I need to go and show Amaterasu my Animagus form," Dorea spoke up. "I'll see you next Sunday."

"Bye dear and congrats for managing the Animagus transformation," Hogwarts replied, only to add, "I look forward to seeing it as well."

With that, Lily also said good-bye to the castle and accompanied her excited daughter to Salazar's chamber to visit her familiar.

Needless to say that Amaterasu was delighted upon seeing the Aesculapian serpent, even if it was much smaller than herself.

"One day, you mussst come and visssit during the school holidaysss," she instructed the young witch. "Then we can slither out onto the groundsss together."

"I'll do that," Dorea promised, sincerely, and Lily nodded her approval, knowing that Hogwarts would see to it that nothing happened to her daughter in whatever form.

HP

Every Sunday morning, Harry, Neville, Hermione, Christa – and recently Luna as well – taught their classmates along with some of the first-years and a few older students the Animagus transformation in the second-years' common room.

"Dorea is late today," Hermione spoke up, and Harry followed her gaze to the time display on the wall. "Oh right, she already managed the transformation," she recalled, nodding in confirmation.

Everyone nodded in understanding. They were already used to the fact that Dorea, who had participated in their practice in spite of not being a first-year yet, was always late, because she visited Hogwarts together with her parents right after breakfast.

"Her form is beautiful," Luna spoke up, wearing a dreamy expression.

"But yours is the best, as you can make others happy with it," Harry said in a soft voice, causing the first-year to smile, happily.

"I've something to discuss with you all," Hermione suddenly said in a firm voice. "Now that many of us have managed the Animagus transformation, and yes, we'll continue practising with the others," she added quickly, glancing at those, who were still trying to change their limbs, "why don't we try to practise dancing, for example?"

The following silence was interrupted by Luna's chuckle. "Why Hermione, are you going to attend the Yule Ball this year?" she asked, wearing an innocent expression.

A collective gasp followed her announcement, and Hermione could not help blushing.

"Someone asked me to attend together with him, and I said yes, but I don't have a clue how to dance. I know that my parents could teach me, but I'm not exactly free to run home at every opportunity," she added, letting out a deep sigh.

Everyone nodded in understanding. They all knew the Grangers, as Emma was still the librarian, while Dan was teaching Muggle Studies.

"I could teach you," Luna said, airily. "My Mum taught me, when I was still a little girl. We just need some music."

"I'll ask Professor Hooch," Harry offered. "Even if she's not our teacher of the year anymore, she'll surely help us."

"Are you all in?" Hermione asked, wearing a hopeful expression.

"Of course," Draco replied, gently. "Even if we'd be interested to know who in the world invited you to the Yule Ball."

"Draco!" Neville lightly scolded the boy.

"What?" Draco shrugged. "It has to be at least a fifth-year, and for them, we're still small children, isn't that right?"

"Boys," Daphne spoke up in clear exasperation. "You're all children compared to us."

_'I also wonder who invited her,'_ Harry thought, however, knew better than to put pressure onto the girl. _'If she doesn't want us to know, she won't tell us anyway,'_ he thought, having known Hermione since she had been three years old. _'Thank Merlin we still have three more years, before we have to invite a girl to accompany us to the Ball,_' he thought in relief, wondering whom he would invite if he had to do this now, only to realise that it was not really a question. '_I just hope that no one invites her before I do_,' he thought, unknowingly smiling.

"Harry, what's so funny?" Susan enquired.

"Ah, nothing really," Harry replied, inwardly groaning, as he felt himself blush.

To his relief, Rolanda Hooch chose that moment to enter the common room in response to his Patronus.

"Professor, we wish to have Dancing classes, and Luna has offered to teach us, but we need some music for this purpose," Hermione blurted out, and everyone nodded their agreement.

The professor listened to their plan with apparent amusement and offered to not only provide the music but also assist Luna in teaching them all, and they decided to practise Dancing right after their Animagus lesson.

"Sunday mornings in the second-years' common room it is," Rolanda confirmed before leaving the common room in apparent amusement.

HP

Lily looked up in surprise, when Rolanda informed the extended family that she was going to give the second-years Dancing lessons on Sundays.

"The second-years?" Minerva asked in apparent disbelief.

"I hope that was not my sons' idea," Lily spoke up, her thoughts going haywire. _'I don't think they're interested in girls yet,'_ she thought. _'They probably haven't even noticed the looks, which they receive from one or the other girl yet.'_

"Probably not," Sirius quipped. "One of the sixth-years came to me to ask how to invite a second-year for the Yule Ball."

"What?" Alice and Narcissa blurted out, simultaneously.

"Who might that be?" James enquired, giving his best friend a questioning look.

"Sorry, but that I can't disclose to you at this time," Sirius replied, grinning as he seemed to recall the conversation with one of his sixth-years.

_'Oh Merlin, Sirius would be one of the last persons, to whom I'd confide in such matters,'_ Lily thought, shaking her head in annoyance at the carefree Marauder, who was the professor responsible for the sixth-years. _'At least I know that my boys would come to me with such questions,'_ she thought, feeling contented with her boys' future choices, of which she had seen several visions. _'Of course, things might still change,'_ she thought, however, not feeling worried about it at the moment.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the few but kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome. My muse really appreicates the feedback._

_Next chapter: "The Yule Ball"._


	32. The Yule Ball

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

As much as their classmates pestered Hermione, she did not tell them who her partner for the Yule Ball was. Most of their classmates had returned home for the Christmas holidays anyway; however, the matter still remained a topic among the children of the extended family.

"Too bad that we're not allowed…"

"… to attend as spectators," Harry and Neville said, sighing.

"Exactly," the older twins agreed.

"We don't even know…"

"… whom Percy is going to take."

"Whom did he take last year?" Christa enquired.

"No one…"

"… because he succumbed to our potions prank…"

"… together with half of his class," the Weasley twins replied, pleasantly.

"I wished they'd let us attend," Susan spoke up, grumpily. "At least, we all know how to dance."

"That's true," Draco concurred and stepped over to where Dorea was sitting, invitingly holding out his hands to her. "Would you agree to dance with me, my fair lady?"

Grinning, Harry waved his wand at the Merlin Strawberry that was sitting on the desk in the corner, causing it to begin playing music a moment later.

"Let's dance," Neville spoke up, grinning, as he jumped up from the sofa and gave Christa a mock bow.

A moment later, everyone began to dance, just like Luna and Rolanda had taught them, changing partners after every dance.

HP

"Mum," the twins addressed Lily later that evening, when she came into their room to say good night.

"Can we perhaps have our own Yule Ball…"

"… on Christmas Eve this year?"

"We want to invite the girls and dance…"

"… before we forget how to dance."

Their mother cast them a surprised look, before her expression softened and she smiled.

"I'll speak with Minerva and Dad about it, but as long as you do it in the parlour or in our private rooms, I don't see a reason why not," Lily replied, thoughtfully. "You could even use the second-years' common room. Let me discuss the matter with my colleagues tomorrow."

"Mum?" Harry spoke up, thoughtfully, "could we perhaps invite Luna and her father to spend Christmas here with the extended family? Luna told me that he was very depressed after her mum died and that she'd prefer to remain at the MAMA but didn't want to leave him alone over Christmas. I don't know if her father would agree, but could we invite them?"

"I'll speak with the others about it, but I can't see any problem with it, especially considering that she is my goddaughter," Lily replied, smiling.

"Thanks Mum," the twins replied, simultaneously, while Inu eagerly sat up to lick her face.

HP

"Harry," Neville whispered, once their mother had left their room, "do you think I could invite Christa to attend our ball with me?"

Harry sat up in his bed in shock, startling Inu, who lightly growled at him, as he had just slipped back under the covers and made himself comfortable against his stomach. "Oh, sorry Inu," he apologized quickly, before turning to his other twin. "Do we need to invite one of the girls?" he asked, unsurely.

"I suppose so," Neville replied, shrugging. "Do you think she'd be willing to be my partner for the ball?"

Harry remained pensive for a moment, thinking about their common friend. "I think she'd be happy to attend the ball with you," he finally said. "I think she likes you."

He could not help chuckling upon seeing Neville blush at his latest comment, before his mind turned to the question, "Whom should I invite?"

"I think Draco will invite Dorea," his brother continued to speak, causing Harry to stare at his twin. "Our baby sister?" he asked in disbelief.

"If she's allowed to attend the ball that is," Neville replied, shrugging.

=Of course, Draco will invite Dorea, and she'll be happy, even if she's still small,= Inu commented. =Harry, whom are you going to take?=

"It's not as if it was solely our choice," Harry countered. "The girls might have their own ideas, with whom they want to attend the dance."

=But it's the boy's turn to invite the girl,= Inu contradicted. =At least Granny Mina said so.=

"I could go as a doggy together with Inu," Harry thought aloud, causing the canine to sit up and lick his face.

=No, you choose a girl, and I'll watch from some place above in my phoenix form,= Inu decided, letting out a yaw cracking yawn.

"Oh well, good night, Neville and Inu," Harry replied, yawning as well, as he nestled back under his covers, smiling, when Inu cuddled against his stomach.

'Invite Luna. She'll be happy to join us in our phoenix forms during any break,' Harry noticed Inu think to him, just before he drifted off to sleep.

HP

In the morning of Christmas Eve, Harry woke up by Neville shaking his shoulder and Inu growling at their twin.

"What is it?" Harry asked, sleepily.

"Frank told me that we need to go out early and collect some flowers to give to the girls tonight," Neville informed him, only to add, "We must be back, before they notice that we're missing."

"All right," Harry agreed and slowly sat up, while Inu jumped from the bed and eagerly waggled his tail in anticipation of an early morning walk through the park.

Together, the three headed out into the park, only for Harry to realise that there were not many flowers to pick in the park. During the night, it had begun to snow, and the grounds were covered by a soft layer of snow, looking like powder sugar.

"No, that won't work," Neville informed him, smirking. "Let's go to the greenhouse. I have an idea. I think I know what Frank meant."

He led Harry into the second greenhouse, which he had been putting up together with Pomona Sprout and Frank Longbottom during the last couple of months. "Here, this is the Miltonia Valentina plant."

"Oh, wasn't that the one that Frank gave you for your birthday?" Harry recalled, causing Neville to grin broadly.

"Exactly," he admitted. "This plant is special. If you cut a small branch," he began to explain, "you only need to caress its leaves for it to bloom."

Seeing Harry stare at him in disbelief, he waved his wand cutting off a small branch. Putting his wand away, he gently let his fingers wander over the leaves, and instantly, a small flower stalk shot out, with small light blue flowers, which opened within a minute to magnificent flowers that looked like exotic orchids.

"Wow, this is just amazing," Harry breathed, staring at the flower in Neville's hand in awe.

"Yes, it is," Neville agreed, grinning broadly. "If mostly kept in water, they keep fresh for about a week. Outside of water, it's only about a day," he explained. "I suggest that we take three more with us, one each for Christa, Luna and Mum, and this one, we could give to Alice."

"Great idea," Harry agreed and held out his hand to hold the beautiful flower, while Neville carefully cut three more small branches.

"Only make it sprout flowers right before handing them over," he advised Harry, who nodded in understanding.

_'Ah, I can't wait to see Luna's face. She'll love this flower,'_ he thought, feeling very excited at the prospect of attending his first ball.

"Thanks Neville, this is a beautiful gift," he replied, smiling.

"Should we also take one for Dorea and one each for Granny Mina and Granny Augusta?" Neville suddenly asked, and Harry nodded, eagerly.

"They'll love it, too," he replied, smiling.

=May I have one for my collar?= Inu enquired, sitting on his bum in a begging position.

"Of course," Neville confirmed and cut another small branch for the canine.

"I'll fasten it to your collar tonight," Harry promised, and Inu eagerly waggled his tail in response, accompanied by a small =Thanks.=

After a detour to the first greenhouse to ask Wonka for an adequate amount of chocolate frogs to hand over together with their flowers, the trio quickly returned to the main building and distributed their flowers and sweets to their grandmothers, their mothers and their younger sister, spreading much joy with their gifts.

HP

After lunch, Narcissa and Alice gathered the very excited boys – with the exception of the older MAMA students – in Alice's and Frank's private rooms, instructing them to bring the robes that they intended to wear that evening.

With a few flicks of their wands, the two witches transfigured their school robes into dress robes, before they changed the colours according to the boys' wishes.

Harry and Neville chose green, and even for Inu, Alice transfigured the canine's school robes into green dress robes.

"Oh Inu, with the flower attached to your collar.."

"… you're going to look very stunning," his twins told him, grinning.

=It's going to be so much fun,= the canine replied, eagerly waggling his tail in apparent anticipation.

HP

And fun they had. The girls had been very secretive and had spent most of the afternoon together with Alice, Regina and Narcissa in the Longbottoms' private quarters to get dressed for the ball, while Lily, Minerva and Poppy had to assist the fifth-year and older girls. Hermione insisted that Emma would help her, even without magic, and all the boys were trying to get a glimpse at her in a possible response to the question who was her partner.

When they finally spotted her on her way to the atrium, she simply looked stunning in her dark blue dress robes and with her hair pulled up and secured by strings of small flowers. However, they could not discern who was going to be her partner.

Their disappointment about the matter soon vanished, however, when they entered the parlour, where their girls were already waiting for them.

"You're late," Susan told them, accusingly.

"Sorry for being late," Harry told Luna, presenting her the branch of the Miltonia Valentina, as he spoke. As soon as she had taken the branch, he gently caressed the leaves, causing the blossoms to appear.

"Thank you so much, Harry. It's beautiful," Luna replied, wearing a dreamy expression.

"You are, too," Harry replied, unsurely how to formulate a compliment. However, to his relief, it seemed to work, as Luna thanked him again, smiling broadly.

As soon as Harry waved his wand at his Merlin Strawberry that was sitting on a side board, music began to play, and the first couples already began to dance.

"Would you like to dance?" Harry asked Luna, suddenly feeling somehow shy towards the girl. However, Luna cast him a broad smile and pulled him over to the dance area.

At first, Harry felt slightly hesitant; however, as time passed and they continued dancing, his confidence slowly returned.

"Thanks for inviting me, Harry. This is much fun," Luna whispered, when they went to get some snacks from the family's living room, where dinner for the family was served tonight, as the atrium was closed for the Yule Ball.

It was almost midnight, when Lily entered the parlour and sent everyone to bed, switching off the computer with a flick of her wand.

"Good night, Luna. Thank you so much for your company," Harry told the girl.

"It was so much fun; I didn't even realise how fast time flew," Luna replied, giving him a dreamy look, before she rose to her toes and pressed a kiss onto his cheek. "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Luna," Harry replied, unconsciously raising a hand to his cheek that felt just a little moist from her kiss.

_'She's right; it was so much fun that I didn't even notice how fast time passed,'_ he thought, as he returned to his, Neville's and Inu's room, deep in thoughts.

To his surprise, Neville and Inu were already in bed, even if they were awake and apparently waiting for him.

"Are you back already?" Harry asked in surprise. "Didn't you have fun?"

"I had fun, but Christa and I called it a night an hour ago. How was your evening?" Neville replied, smiling.

"It was brilliant," Harry blurted out. "Luna really is a wonderful dancer. I danced with everyone else, too, but she's the best."

"Of course," Neville replied, matter-of-factly. "She was when she taught us."

"Oh well, that might be," Harry replied, thoughtfully, "but I never danced with her before. What about you, Inu? Did you have fun, too?"

=Yes, it was very amusing to watch everyone,= Inu quipped, causing Harry to roll his eyes at the canine. =Are you coming to bed now? It's cold without you here to warm me.=

Ten minutes later, Harry was fast asleep, dreaming of blonde girls with light blue, dreamy eyes.

HP

The Daily Prophet arrived, when the extended family as well as the older students, who were going to return home that morning, were still gathered in the atrium for breakfast on Christmas morning.

A huge gasp coming from the group of twelve-year-olds arouse, when they got a glimpse at the front page.

_'The traditional Yule Ball at the MAMA,'_ the headline screamed in red letters. Underneath was a large photograph of none other than Hermione Granger and Percy Weasley dancing together.

"You what? Percy?" Susan blurted out in apparent shock, glancing around; however, Percy was sitting at the sixth-year table together with a few of his classmates, who had stayed for the ball.

"Why not? Percy is really nice," Christa immediately came to Hermione's help.

"Don't tell us…"

"… you have any problem…"

"… with the ugliest of all the Weasleys at the MAMA?" the Weasley twins asked in a sing song, mock glaring at Susan.

"Thanks for your company last night, George," Susan replied, completely ignoring the pun.

Hermione completely ignored the conversation in favour of her breakfast. However, Harry had the impression as if she was looking happy.

"Hermione," he addressed her in a soft voice, causing the girl to look at him, questioningly. "Did you have fun last night?" he continued.

"Yes, it was absolutely amazing," Hermione replied, smiling.

"We had much fun, too," Luna stated, smiling, and Harry noticed in surprise that she was wearing the Miltonia Valentina woven into her hair. _'It looks very pretty,'_ he thought, feeling very grateful towards his twin, who had had the brilliant idea with that specific plant.

HP

Immediately after breakfast, the older students returned home from the fireplace in the entrance hall, and the extended family gathered on the grounds for a snowball fight.

Harry and Neville were just discussing a strategy against the adults, when Arcturus suddenly popped up wearing his Unspeakable robes with hood.

"Harry, can you come with me and bring that doggy of yours please?" he asked in a no-nonsense voice. "He might be able to help us. There has been an attack on a muggle family, and from the witnesses' descriptions we assume that it was Lucius Malfoy. He even raised the Dark Mark over the house. Perhaps he's still nearby and Inu can catch him."

"All right," Harry and Inu replied, simultaneously.

"Harry and Inu, be careful," Hermione instructed them, giving them a concerned look.

"We will," Harry promised and, with Inu in his arms, held on to Arcturus' arm, before the Unspeakable popped away with them.

HP

When they arrived in front of the remains of a house, which seemed fairly destroyed, a boy ran over to them, shouting, "Harry!"

"Colin," Harry replied in surprise, as he recognised the first-year. "Is your family all right?"

"Yeah, we're fine. It's just that the house is destroyed, and you know, the Dark Mark… it was scary," the boy replied, seemingly shaken.

"Unspeakable Ra," Harry turned to his colleague, who had in the meantime caught up with the Aurors, "can you help me take the family to the MAMA please?"

"Of course," Ra promised before telling Inu, "We're too late, Dog Hero. Apparently, it was Lucius Malfoy, and he apparated away shortly after the Aurors' arrival. The problem is," he added, seemingly more to himself than to Harry, "that we don't know, where he's living, as there's no such thing as Malfoy Manor anymore."

Harry nodded, knowing that the Unspeakables had until now hoped that Malfoy had succumbed to the fiendfyre, which they had cast at Malfoy Manor four years ago.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the few but kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome. My muse really appreicates the feedback._

_Next chapter: "Lucy"._


	33. Lucy

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

The rest of the extended family was shocked to hear about Lucius Malfoy and the attack on the Creevey family.

_'Thank Merlin we have so much space at the MAMA,'_ Lily thought, when James assigned the Creeveys rooms on the third floor of the South Wing, in which only Narcissa and Severus with their almost four-year-old son Salazar and Draco had their rooms so far. _'At least, they're not alone on the third floor,'_ she thought, knowing that the Grangers would do their best to care for the muggle refugees.

"If that continues," Regina spoke up, pensively, "we can open Lestrange Manor for refugees again, even if I hope that it won't be necessary."

"I hope so, too," Lily full-heartedly agreed.

To everyone's relief, Lucius Malfoy's attack on the Creeveys remained a single event, causing everyone to wonder what might have happened to prevent the Death Eater from attacking again.

HP

It was on the first day of the summer holidays, which Luna was going to spend at the MAMA together with her father, that the girl suddenly addressed Arcturus. "I believe that I'd be quite useful as a Mini Unspeakable, considering that I'm a Seer," she said, airily.

"Have you seen yourself working together with the other Mini Unspeakables?" Arcturus quipped, giving the girl a sharp look.

"Arcturus," Harry spoke up in a small voice, "Luna is a phoenix Animagus and is just working on her second Animagus form."

"Yes," Luna added, smiling as she transformed her left hand into white fur.

"Harry," Arcturus replied, sighing, "do you remember what I said, when I accepted Tonks into our team?"

"That she would be the last new Mini Unspeakable," Neville spoke up, "but I think that Luna is special."

"Yes, that she is," Harry agreed, and Inu confirmed the matter by gently licking Luna's hand.

"Perhaps we need to divide our team into two teams then," Arcturus replied, seemingly thoughtful. He remained pensive for a moment before promising to discuss the matter with Croaker the following morning.

HP

_'It would be nice if Luna could join us,'_ Harry thought, hoping that Arcturus would tell them good news, when the Unspeakable returned from the ministry at lunch time.

"Now Minis, listen," the old wizard spoke up in a firm voice, "get to the parlour."

The seven soon-to-be third-years as well as the Weasley twins hurried away, and only when Harry was almost through the door of the atrium, he heard how Arcturus instructed Luna to follow them.

"As of tomorrow morning, The Weasley twins as well as Kitty (Susan), Toady (Neville) and Niffler (Draco) will belong to Team 18 together with Meta and Mento. Doggy (Harry), Dog Hero (Inu), Eagle (Hermione), Phoenix (Christa) and…" he interrupted himself, giving Luna a questioning look.

"Fairy," she replied, airily.

"…and Fairy will remain in Team 5 with Raros and me," Arcturus continued. "Any questions?" Seeing that everyone shook their heads, he ushered them back to the atrium, where lunch had already begun.

HP

To Harry's and the others' relief, the Mini Unspeakables still had their training with Devil together, even though they belonged to two different teams. From the third day of the holidays onwards, they spent every morning in the Unspeakables' office, while they pursued their own studies during the afternoons – just like they had done during the previous summers.

Harry and the older twins were still studying for their Potions NEWT, which they were supposed to take before Christmas in order to spend the following two and a half years in preparation for the mastery exam. However, in addition to his Unspeakable training and Potions studies, Harry also made time to work on the Merlin Strawberry and developing the Wizardnet.

=You're much too busy this summer,= Inu informed him in a grumpy voice. =Can you at least take the weekends off to spend some time with me?=

Staring at his twin in shock, Harry instantly transformed into his canine form and pulled Inu into a mock fight. =Sorry,= he told him, when they were lying on the ground, panting in exhaustion. =Yes, I will spend the weekends with you,= he promised, knowing that he would still have time to do some research together with Dorea, when Inu was asleep.

Even as a magical dog, Inu needed about 16 hours of sleep each day. While during the school year, he usually was not able to sleep more than approximately 13 hours a day, he used to catch up on sleep during the weekends and holidays – much to Harry's amusement.

HP

"I think Inu needs a female doggy friend for his entertainment," Luna said to Sirius one day, when the older wizard helped her practise the transformation for her second Animagus form.

The Marauder stared at the girl, open-mouthed. "That's it," he blurted out in apparent understanding.

'_Her name will be Lucy,'_ Luna thought, feeling very happy at the scene which she had witnessed earlier. _'It still might be a few weeks or even years ahead though,'_ she realised and decided, _'I'm not going to tell anyone else about it.'_

HP

A few days before the twins' thirteenth birthday, Sirius asked Harry, "Have the Unspeakables taught you to apparate yet?"

Harry cast his godfather a surprised look, before he replied, "Well, first of all, they've taught us the Unspeakables' method of Apparition, and secondly, I am a phoenix Animagus in case you've forgotten. I can flash myself anywhere."

"Oh right," Sirius said, pensively. "Can you flash me as far as to the North of Germany?"

Harry stared at the older wizard in disbelief, when Sirius explained, "I've found a birthday present for Inu, which I need to get from a magical family in a small town on the continent. I've already paid for it through Gringotts, but I must go and get the present myself."

"Oh, all right," Harry replied, thoughtfully. "A present for Inu?" he asked, incredulously. "What is it? A puppy?"

"Yes," Sirius beamed. "She looks really cute, but she'll only be eight weeks old on your birthday, so we can't get her sooner."

"That's fine," Harry said, smiling. "Shall we take Inu with us as well then?"

"If you can flash me and two doggies," Sirius replied in apparent excitement.

"I'm not sure, but Inu could flash by himself," Harry reminded the older wizard, who nodded his consent.

HP

While Neville's real birthday was on the day before Harry's and Inu's, the Potters had always celebrated the trio's birthday on July 31, and not even the boy's birth parents questioned the matter.

As soon as the extended family had finished their breakfast together in the atrium – the time at which they usually turned to the side table that was loaded with colourful gifts –, Sirius stood in front of the trio and instructed Harry and Inu to transform into their phoenix form and Neville to change into his canine form.

"Neville, please grab Inu's tail feathers," he instructed the boy. Turning to Inu, he demanded, "Please take Neville with you and follow Harry." To Harry, he said, "Please flash to the city of Norden in Northern Germany. It's on the shore of the North Sea." With that, he also transformed into his canine form and reached out for Harry's tail feathers.

The birthday trio nodded their heads and followed the instructions, only to find themselves on a sandy beach right on the shore.

"Oh well, I didn't mean the beach, I meant the city," Sirius commented, rolling his eyes, as he searched his robe pocket for the address.

It was about a thirty-minute walk, and soon, four canines were running along the street. The larger, black dog ran ahead and was followed by the three crups.

=This is going to be a brilliant birthday,= Inu declared, as he paused to dig a hole in the sand.

=Yeah, sorry to disappoint you, but we need to leave the beach now and head up to the farm on the road over there,= Sirius informed him.

Right in front of the farm, the three Animagi changed back into their human forms, and Sirius walked ahead, ringing the doorbell. They were let in and lead into the garden, where their attention was immediately drawn to a huge enclosure. Nine puppies came running to the edge of the enclosure, standing up on their hind paws, and barked at them.

Harry could only stand there and stare, stunned, while Inu remained firmly at his side. "Good boy," Harry whispered to him, uncertain if Inu even heard it, as the canine's body was slightly shaking in apparent excitement.

The owner grabbed one of the puppies from the second row and placed it right in front of Inu, causing the two canines to chase each other all over the garden in a good-natured play.

"Inu, do you want to take her with you?" Sirius asked the canine, once he returned to their side with the puppy in tow.

=Yes.= Inu replied in a firm voice, gently licking the puppy's ear.

A few minutes later, five canines were happily running along the beach, where they spent a while playing together.

HP

When they arrived back at the MAMA, feeling extremely happy with their trip as well as the new family member, it was almost lunchtime. They changed back into their human forms and headed straight to the atrium.

"Hello everyone," Harry spoke up, "this is Lucy, our newest family member."

Lucy had about the size of Inu and her colours were similar, yet with a different pattern. Her face had two sides, the left side being black and the right side grey, and she looked absolutely cute.

Harry observed in amusement how the puppy ran around greeting everyone. _'She's really nice to everyone,'_ he thought. While Inu was nice, he often ignored everyone else in Harry's favour.

"Harry," James suddenly addressed him, "while Lucy is Inu's puppy, Inu will only be able to potty train her to a certain extent. Therefore, you must take responsibility for Lucy as well."

"Of course, Dad," Harry replied, grinning.

HP

Only when lunch was over and the puppy had fallen asleep on the terrace in front of the atrium in apparent exhaustion after a mock fight with Inu, Harry, Neville and Inu had time to open their presents.

For Harry, the most interesting gift – apart from Lucy – was a dark blue box, which he received from Brian.

"It's a muggle device, which Regina has charmed for me to become smaller and get some colour," the Squib explained. "It's a mobile phone, which you can use to phone call someone; however, so far, it only works in the muggle world, and I thought you might wish to take up another research project and make it work in the magical world analogue to the Merlin Strawberry. I have the same device, and my phone number is already programmed into this one, so that you can try to call me for testing."

"Muggles use it, when we send a Patronus," Lily explained. "My parents always had a phone, even if it wasn't a mobile phone, and it's quite convenient. It would be nice to have even for us."

"Barely anyone in the muggle world has a mobile phone yet," Brian explained. "They're still too large to carry around. It's mainly used by the police and some official places. As I said, Regina shrunk it for you. The real muggle device is black and much larger than this."

"Harry," Dorea spoke up in apparent determination, "I'm in on the research."

"Thanks, Dorea," Harry replied, honestly. _'She really has great ideas for new charms, just like Mum,'_ he thought, feeling very proud of his younger sister.

HP

In the afternoon, after devouring huge pieces of birthday cake, the children went out into the park to play Quidditch or ride on the winged horses. After winning the first game, however, Harry decided to not play anymore, seeing that Inu and Lucy were watching from the ground.

_'I'll rather play with them for a while now,'_ he decided. '_That way, someone else will have the chance to catch the Snitch for once.'_

He transformed into his canine form and was immediately pulled into one of Inu's favourite mock fights, which was much fun for the three canines, who were quickly joined by Neville in his own canine form.

When the four dogs were lying on the shore of the lake, feeling groggy but outright happy, Lily approached them. "Harry, may I speak to you for a moment?" she enquired.

=Of course,= Harry replied, not caring that his mother could not understand him. He swiftly transformed back into his human form and followed Lily to the nearby bench, where they sat down, while the three canines proceeded to sleep on the shore.

"Harry," his mother spoke up, seeming hesitant. "With that new mobile phone and the still ongoing research for the Merlin Strawberry along with the Wizardnet, your Unspeakable training and Potions studies, I'm afraid that you're doing too much. You need some time for your other studies, too. As you're going to be a third-year soon, you will have two new subjects, and the requirements for the other subjects are going to increase as well."

Apparently noticing that Harry was going to protest, she held her hand up to stop him. "No Harry, I'm not saying that you're not doing well at school. On the contrary, I'm very proud of you. But you also need some time to rest and play with Inu and Lucy, for example."

Harry let out a deep sigh, instinctively knowing that he had too many different tasks.

"During the last year, I had the impression that you're going to become a professional in computer science," Lily continued, "and I have the impression as if you were really good at it."

Harry nodded. "That's what interests me most," he admitted, smiling.

"Why don't you let the brewing of potions be for a while then? You don't have to take your NEWTs at Christmas. You could still take them in the summer or even later. While Severus and I value your assistance, you don't have to take your exams as soon as possible. Even the Potions mastery, you can still decide if you wish to take it at all, or you can take it at a later time."

"That's true," Harry said, pensively, "even if I really like the brewing of potions, too. On the other hand, I could imagine becoming a teacher for computer science in case it's going to become a subject at the MAMA at some stage."

"It will," his mother replied, smiling. "Your father has certain plans, which I can't disclose yet, but I can tell you as much. It will become a subject, and if you're interested, you're going to become the professor – after at least taking your OWLs if not your NEWTs."

"What about Dorea?" Harry asked, knowing that his sister was at least as proficient as himself.

"She's only going to be a first-year in September and still has seven years of schooling left, but we'll find a way for the two of you to work together if that's what the two of you wish. As I said, James is already making plans."

"Thanks Mum," Harry replied, feeling very much relieved at the prospect of being able to spend the last four weeks of the holidays concentrating on the Wizardnet, the mobile phone and his two dogs. _'Apart from the Unspeakable training,'_ he thought. _'I'll definitely continue that.'_

"Mum," he said, thoughtfully, "will you help Dorea and me with the mobile phones?"

Lily smiled, gently ruffling his hair. "Of course, Harry. Whenever you need me, I'll be here."

HP

Harry realised soon that, while he enjoyed the occasional brewing of potions for Poppy's stock, he felt very much relieved to not have to spend the whole afternoon studying for his NEWT. He spent three hours each afternoon working with Dorea and another two hours playing with Inu and Lucy. To his amazement, Luna seemed to have taken a liking to the dogs and took it upon herself to teach Lucy whatever a puppy needed to learn – with Inu's professional assistance.

HP

When the school year began, the now third-years once again decided that it was them who were going to help the new first-years, especially as Dorea was one of them, whom not only Harry, Neville and Inu, but also Hermione, Christa, Susan and Draco considered their little sister.

Lucy followed Inu, wherever he went. However, Inu convinced her to not follow him into the classrooms, considering that he had attended classes from the primary school onwards, and advised her to attend classes together with Dorea.

"Before Dorea can take her to class with her, she needs to practise Scorgify, as Lucy is not completely house-trained yet," Hermione insisted, causing Dorea to roll her eyes in apparent annoyance.

She quickly waved her wand over a small piece of bone that the puppy had left on the floor and hissed, "Scorgify," causing the piece to vanish from the spot.

"Remember, it's my sister you're talking about," Harry quipped, and everyone laughed.

"Lulu," Dorea addressed the good-natured puppy, "will you go to class with me?"

Lucy immediately went over to the girl and began to lick her naked toes in apparent delight.

"Oh, that feels good. Thanks Lucy," Dorea giggled, only to add, "Too bad that we need to wear shoes during class time."

Outside of class, Lucy spent all her time with Inu and, consequently Harry. Since Lucy came into the family, he had two dogs in his bed every night, and in the dormitory of the third-years it was no different.

_'I wonder if she's going to bond to a human some time,'_ he thought one night, when he tried to make himself comfortable between the two dogs, who seemed to grow to twice their usual size, whenever they were in his bed. _'So far, she's not bonded to anyone. Oh well, perhaps she doesn't need it due to being so close to Inu and me.'_ He was pulled from his thoughts, when Lucy began to meticulously clean his stomach, causing him to smile in happiness.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the few but kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome. My muse really appreicates the feedback._

_Next chapter: "Challlenges"._


	34. Challenges

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

Harry and Dorea used the Sundays, which they had previously spent in the common room practising the Animagus transformation or Dancing, to work on the mobile phones.

It took them a few weeks, before they managed to get the phone to work on magic – with their mother's invaluable help.

"I'm not a Charms mistress for nothing," Lily informed them, smirking.

"Mum," Harry spoke up, thoughtfully, "did you take your masteries in Charms and Potions at the same time?"

"Almost," Lily nodded. "I already began studying for the Charms mastery during our time at Hogwarts. Actually, it was Professor Flitwick's idea, not mine."

"Dorea is brilliant, just like you," Harry replied, feeling very proud of his sister.

"I know," Lily replied, giving his sister a look of what he assumed was pride. "Professor Flitwick is telling me that whenever the first-years had Charms."

Harry chuckled, as he had witnessed the diminutive professor's expressions of excitement many times.

"Now, what are we going to do about the mobile phone?" Dorea asked, sounding impatient. "Can we duplicate it and give one each to our friends and family for Christmas?"

Harry shrugged. "We'll just have to try if we can simply duplicate it," he replied, thoughtfully. "I suppose that it's similar to the Merlin Strawberry, where we could simply duplicate the hardware, but had to develop a spell to copy the software."

"I think so, too," his mother agreed. "We've one advantage here though," she added, smiling.

"We already know how to copy the software, and it should work the same way for the phone," Dorea said in understanding.

"Let's try it out," Harry said, eagerly, and pointed his wand at the device in front of him.

"Wait," Dorea protested, indignantly. "I think we should do something about its form first. Why don't we change the ugly box looking thing to the form of Inu? He's our school mascot after all."

Smirking, their mother pointed her wand at the first and subsequently at the new device, changing both to a flat form of a sitting dog. "I have one request," she then informed them. "Don't give any mobile phone to anyone younger than eleven."

"Not even Charlus and Regulus?" Dorea asked in apparent surprise.

'_The twins are only three years younger than her,'_ Harry thought in understanding. _'For us, it's a five-year difference though; that's quite a lot, and they're not responsible at all.'_

"No," Lily replied in a firm voice. "It suffices if you give them their phones for their eleventh birthdays in three years' time."

"So, we'll give one…"

"… to all the adults and to the Mini Unspeakables as well as the members of our Unspeakable groups," Harry interrupted Dorea to complete her sentence.

"It's unfair that I can't be a Mini Unspeakable, too," Dorea pouted, causing Harry to cast her a pitying look.

_'As an Aesculapian serpent, she could be a valuable asset for the Unspeakables,'_ Harry thought, resolving to ask Arcturus about her in private, so as to not get her hopes up.

"So we simply need to copy the hardware and software and change the colour, depending on whom to give the phone," Harry concluded, looking up in surprise, when his mother contradicted.

"No. You need to assign each phone a specific number, as the way to distinguish them. How else will, for example, Granny Minerva's phone know that you're calling her and not Dad?"

"All right, can we simply begin with the numbers from 1?" Dorea enquired with obvious eagerness.

It was not as simple, as it first seemed; however, by Christmas, Harry and Dorea had managed to produce enough working mobile phones to give each of the extended family above the age of eleven one of the colourful devices in canine form.

HP

Just when Lily and Severus had begun to cure the werewolves, the news about the mobile phones spread like wildfire through the magical world.

Harry assumed that someone at the Ministry of Magic had seen Amelia accept a phone call from Arcturus, causing the news to spread through the ministry and to the Daily Prophet.

It was as soon as New Year's Eve that Amelia addressed Harry and Dorea. "Would you be willing to make mobile phones for each of the department heads at the ministry and for what price?"

"Price?" Harry and Dorea mouthed, simultaneously.

"Yes, price," James replied in a firm voice, giving Brian a questioning look.

"What about 500 Galleons per phone, and as Amelia is the Minister of Magic, you could give her a discount of, let's say, fifty percent?" Brian suggested.

Harry and Dorea nodded in agreement, glancing at each other in delight. _'Two hundred and fifty Galleons is a lot of money for just a few minutes of work,' _Harry thought in surprise.

They spent the rest of the day producing 20 mobile phones, assigned them the numbers from 1001 to 1020 and decided to make them all black and in a simple rectangular form to distinguish them from the private phones.

"Thank you so very much," Amelia said, as she accepted the box full with phones. "I'll go and distribute them right away, and I'll see to it that 2500 Galleons each will be paid into your accounts."

Harry and Dorea happily thanked her, glad that their parents had set up their own Gringotts accounts for them, when they turned eleven.

Promptly, on New Years' Day, the Daily Prophet reported about the mobile phones, and one of the new, black phones was displayed on the front page. The main headline shouted in red letters,

_'A new, brilliant device for the magical world – Minister of Magic provides them for the department heads'_

Underneath, a small paragraph told the readers, _'Yesterday afternoon, Amelia Bones, our esteemed Minister of Magic, distributed 20 new mobile phones, similar to the muggle telephones, however, mobile devices, which work perfectly in the magical world and might be a fantastic method to replace floo calls, to the department heads within the Ministry of Magic. Rest assured, dear readers, that we will find out who is the brilliant inventor of these dazzling devices. Perhaps, these devices are going to be the new hit for 1994.'_

"Oh Merlin," Amelia blurted out upon reading the article. "Harry, Dorea, would you mind me giving her your names?"

Harry and Dorea exchanged a glance, before Dorea replied, "No, Aunt Ami, that's fine."

"Just tell them the price without the discount though, and tell them that we're only able to make ten per week," Harry added, grinning.

"Now, that's my godson," Sirius quipped, causing everyone to laugh.

"All right, thank you," Amelia replied, letting out a deep sigh, before she added, "By the way, I've patented your mobile phones as well as the Merlin Strawberry in your names. No one else will be able to produce either of them, even if they had the expertise to do so."

The siblings profusely thanked the witch. '_That's brilliant, but we didn't even think about such a thing,'_ Harry thought, gratefully.

Two days later, just when school commenced again, the headline of the Daily Prophet informed the magical world about the mystery of the mobile phones.

'Mysterious_ mobile phones made by Dorea and Harry Potter, siblings of the Mutt who Lived'_, shouted the main headline in red letters.

The text below informed the magical world that the mobile phones could be ordered by owl sent to Teddy Potter, Dorea's personal house-elf, who had offered to organise the matter for them, for a fee of 500 Galleons per device. It also advised everyone to wait for the summer holidays to commence before ordering, as both Potter children were still only first- and third-years at the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts.

After dinner, Harry went to the high table to speak with Minerva. "Granny," he addressed the headmistress, "what if other students ask me for mobile phones? May I make them?"

Minerva gave him a thoughtful look, before she replied, "Let me discuss this with the extended family tonight. I'll inform you about the conditions tomorrow."

Harry nodded in understanding. "All right. I just thought, as they're easy to make and don't cost anything, I could make them for students for 5 Galleons each. Plus," he added, turning to his mother, "Dorea and I want to put that money into a separate account and think about what to do with it later on. We're thinking about founding a scholarship for students who can't afford attending the MAMA or such."

"A very nice plan," Granny Augusta spoke up, smiling at Harry.

HP

At breakfast the following morning, the headmistress informed them that whoever wanted a mobile phone could tell Harry or Dorea. "However," she added in a no-nonsense voice, "the use of mobile phones is strictly forbidden in the atrium, in the classrooms, in the corridors and in the dormitories – except in emergencies. If we catch anyone using a mobile phone in one of these places, it will be confiscated and only returned after the leaving feast at the end of the school year. Now, I believe that Harry wished to announce a student discount."

"Yeah," Harry spoke up, as he rose from his chair. "For students, we decided to offer the phone for 5 Galleons. If you want a phone, please hand Dorea's house-elf Teddy a parchment with your name and the colour in which you want it. We'll contact you, when your phone is ready. It might take some time though."

James rose from his chair and added, "If I hear anyone pester my children to hurry up or make their phone first or such, I tell you now that you won't get a phone at all."

HP

During the remaining months of Harry's third year, he and Dorea spent every Sunday morning making mobile phones. As promised, they produced ten mobile phones for costumers from the magical world, before they spent some hours making phones for their fellow students. By the time the summer holidays began, the whole student body of the MAMA was equipped with their personal mobile phones.

HP

Two weeks into the summer holidays, Dorea suddenly spoke up. "Harry, I have an idea."

"And what might that be?" Harry enquired, as he put the last mobile phone for the day onto the pile of completed tasks.

"Teddy told me that we've already received thousands of Galleons for the phones. You know, Mum and Dad have their fifteenth wedding anniversary on July 15. What if we bought them a gift this year?" Dorea suggested in clear excitement.

"Such as?" Harry asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"We could ask Granny Minerva or Uncle Sirius for an idea," Dorea continued. "I thought about something like a voucher for some magical resort, so that they could go on a holiday for two or three days, you know, just the two of them."

"That's a brilliant idea," Harry immediately agreed. _'She's brilliant. How does she even come up with such ideas?'_ he wondered. "Let's go and ask Granny Minerva about it."

HP

Lily looked at James' sleeping form, smiling. _'It's fifteen years today,'_ she thought in amazement, _'and I don't regret it at all,_' she thought, chuckling at the idea.

"Wha'?" James asked, sleepily.

"Today is our wedding anniversary," Lily reminded him, smiling.

All of a sudden, the Marauder seemed to be wide awake. He got out of bed and stepped over into the children's room, which – to her surprise – was already deserted. From behind a curtain, he pulled out a bunch of flowers and handed it to her. "Happy Anniversary, Lils," he said, grinning, before he pulled her into a passionate kiss. "Come back to bed," he told her; however, Lily merely rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Breakfast is going to begin in ten minutes," she informed him. "You better hurry up."

HP

_'Thank Merlin,'_ Harry thought, when his parents entered the atrium, where everyone else was already assembled for breakfast.

"Mum, Dad," Dorea was the first to speak up. "Happy anniversary."

"Thank you, dear," Lily replied, seemingly happy.

James cast his daughter a surprised look, before he, too, thanked her.

"Happy anniversary," Harry echoed, pushing the light blue envelope that was lying on the table in front of him over to his parents.

"Happy anniversary," Neville added, placing a small plant next to the envelope.

"You better open that envelope right away," Dorea instructed them, causing their mother to comply in apparent amusement that quickly vanished upon seeing what was inside.

"James," she spoke up, clearly shocked. "Listen, our children have bought us a voucher for a magical holiday resort in Ireland."

"Exactly," Minerva spoke up, "and the Portkey is said to go off at 9:30 a.m., which is in thirteen minutes."

"What?" James blurted out in apparent disbelief, giving his children a questioning look.

"Yes, your children are brilliant," Minerva spoke up, handing Lily a very tiny, lime green bag. "Everything that you need is in here. This is the gift from the colleagues and extended family. The voucher is from your children. This bag is also your Portkey to go there and to come back at exactly 5:00 p.m. on the day after tomorrow."

Harry could not help chuckling, as his parents abandoned their breakfast and made their way around the table pulling every member of the extended family into hugs.

"Thank you all so very much," James said, as they both held on to the Portkey.

"Thank you, everyone, especially Dorea, Harry and Neville," Lily added, hastily wiping an errand tear from her cheek, right before the Portkey activated.

"I wonder if they've taken their mobile phones with them," Dorea quipped, causing Harry to glare at her.

"Don't you dare phone call them. They're supposed to get some rest from us," he stated, causing the adults to laugh.

"I don't think that you're so bad," Luna finally stated, wearing a dreamy expression.

_'Apprarently, Mum and Dad think so, too,'_ Harry thought, when later the same day, his mother called him through the mobile phone to tell him how brilliant their holiday was and to thank him again.

HP

The 31st of August was Dorea's twelfth birthday. She and the other children of the extended family had a pleasant summer day on the nearby beach, supervised by the Marauders. Just like everyone else, she enjoyed herself greatly, especially, when she and Iro went for a long dive into the sea.

=Let's follow them,= Inu suggested and ran into the water with Lucy on his heals.

Harry and Neville merely exchanged a glance, before they transformed into their canine forms and followed the dogs for an extended swim.

Only on time for dinner, they returned to the MAMA.

To everyone's surprise, Arcturus was sitting next to Minerva at the dinner table, which was earlier than the usual time, at which the Unspeakable returned to the MAMA in the evenings.

"Don't look at me so surprised," he spoke up, apparently noticing that everyone cast him astonished looks. "I merely came home early to wish our princess a happy birthday."

"Thank you," Dorea replied, smiling.

"And I wanted to give you this," Arcturus continued, pushing a small piece of parchment into Dorea's direction, which was quickly forwarded by helpful hands.

"What is it?" Harry asked, curiously, glancing over her shoulder, as Dorea eagerly unfolded the parchment.

It only contained a few words:

_'Your Unspeakable name: Aesculapius. Your team: 5.'_

"Thank you!" Dorea blurted out, jumped up from her chair and ran around the table to hug the old wizard in apparent happiness. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, and we'll be glad to have you," Arcturus replied, smirking. "Just see to it that you get along with Devil. He's strict," he added, winking at Harry, who could not help chuckling.

Their teacher was, indeed strict, but he was also very kind and understanding. _'Dorea will do well,'_ he thought, feeling very happy, as it was him who had suggested Dorea to the head of his team months ago.

HP

On the following day, the students returned to the MAMA and school began again. '_Fourth-years,'_ he thought, feeling very grown-up.

While he and his six best friends among his classmates including Inu had chosen Arithmancy and Ancient Runes as electable subjects in their third year, they could now optionally choose Alchemy or Law in addition.

While Susan, Hermione and Draco chose Law, which was taught by Andromeda, Harry, Neville, Christa and Inu took Alchemy. _'It seems much more interesting than Law, and Bill is really nice,'_ Harry thought. 'Oh well, Andromeda is nice, too, but still.'

Dorea was now a second-year, and this time, the new second-years took it upon themselves to care for the new first-years. Lucy still accompanied Dorea to her classes; however, the fifteen-month-old was not as studious as Inu. _'Perhaps that's because she's still young,'_ Harry thought, knowing that Inu had already been four years old, when they began to attend school.

'I think so, too,' Inu replied on his telepathic question. 'She seems to be very intelligent, and she learns quickly.'

HP

A few weeks later, the Halloween feast at the MAMA was already half-way over, when Hogwarts suddenly contacted Lily through telepathy.

'Lily dear, I urgently need to speak with you, James and Harry,' the castle informed her.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the few but kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome. My muse really appreicates the feedback._

_Next chapter: "Hogwarts' call"._


	35. Hogwarts' call

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

"James, come with me," Lily blurted out in shock, pulling her mobile phone out of her robe pocket to phone Harry in spite of being in the atrium, where mobile phones were forbidden. "Harry, Hogwarts requests that you, Dad and I come over immediately," she informed him, shortly.

A moment later, the three of them headed to the entrance hall to use the closest fireplace to floo to the castle, closely followed by Inu and Lucy.

=I am coming, too,= Inu woofed.

=Me too,= Lucy echoed in apparent determination.

"Hogwarts requested James, Harry and me," Lily replied, feeling extremely worried what might have made the castle contact her. '_The last time was when Percy was in Salazar's chamber with Voldemort's Horcrux_,' she recalled.

=I don't care,= Inu replied in a firm voice, before he transformed into his phoenix form and flashed away with Lucy holding on to his tail feathers.

Lily was not surprised to say the least upon finding the two canines waiting for them in the living room of the founders' quarters. Together, they stepped into the Parlour.

"Thank you so much for coming," Hogwarts addressed them, before they even had the chance to greet her. "Something happened tonight."

The five of them listened in surprise, when the castle told them about a ceremony for the Triwizard Tournament, in which the so-called Goblet of Fire, a magical artefact, chose the champions for the tournament.

"The goblet was supposed to choose one participant from each school, namely Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang," Hogwarts continued, "however, when I already thought the ceremony was over, it spit out Harry's name."

"My name?" Harry blurted out in apparent shock, matching everyone else's expressions. "I'm not going to participate."

"Minerva told Dumbledore that the MAMA was not going to participate," Lily spoke up in horror.

"I believe that an unbreakable contract is made between the goblet and a participant, once a name comes out of the goblet," Hogwarts said, pensively. "In Harry's case, however, it will probably be between the person who added his name and the goblet. I am not sure, however. You better ask the Unspeakables."

"I'll do that," Harry replied in a firm voice.

=We're going to destroy that goblet,= Inu announced, and Harry quickly translated.

"Try," Hogwarts encouraged him. "I don't know if that'll work. Can you connect your pees with an intention?"

=Of course,= Inu confirmed in apparent determination.

"Very well…"

While Hogwarts advised the two canines what to do, Lily's thoughts went haywire. _'We need to close Hogwarts as soon as possible, before Dumbledore does anymore nonsense and tries to pull my sons into it,_' she decided, resolving to discuss the matter with her colleagues, as soon as they were back at the MAMA.

She was brought back to reality, when Inu and Lucy dashed out of the Parlour.

"Lily, let me go," James told her. "You and Harry remain here."

"No, please let me go," Lily replied in anger at the acting headmaster, official deputy headmaster of Hogwarts. "The two of you return to the MAMA please."

"I think that would be the best," Hogwarts confirmed, and Lily sighed in relief upon realising that James and Harry complied.

She quickly transformed into her Animagus form and made her way to the Great Hall, in which the students were still gathered for their Halloween dinner.

_'Where are the doggies?'_ she thought, frantically letting her eyes wander around the Great Hall, only to realise that the two of them were peeing against the Goblet of Fire with apparent fervour.

Just when the two canines finished their business, the Goblet of Fire was torn from its anchors, as the floor of the Great Hall around the goblet shook as if hit by an extremely pointed earthquake. She stared at the scene in shock that intensified, when the old and supposed to be indestructible artefact exploded into small wooden pieces that spread all over the Great Hall. To her amazement, no one was hit by the pieces, as they all vanished into thin air, before they could hurt anyone.

_'That's Hogwarts' doing,'_ Lily thought in amazement. She absentmindedly noticed how Inu transformed into his phoenix form and instinctively grabbed his tail feathers together with Lucy, only to be whisked away from the ensuing chaos in the Great Hall instantly.

A moment later, they arrived at the Parlour, where Hogwarts immediately commended the doggies.

"That was very well done, Inu and Lucy," the castle told them before informing Lily that she had instructed them to force the intent of destroying the goblet into their pees using their strong magic.

"Thank you very much, Hogwarts, Inu and Lucy," Lily replied, gratefully.

"I suppose that the magical contracts should have been destroyed, but you better ask the Unspeakables," Hogwarts repeated her earlier advice, and Lily nodded in understanding.

After a few more minutes of talking to the castle, Inu flashed the three of them home to the MAMA, where Lily showed her memory to the extended family that was gathered in the parlour waiting for them.

HP

Harry inwardly sighed in relief, when Inu flashed into the room with his mother and Lucy in tow. _'Thank Merlin they're safe,'_ he thought, as he watched his mother's memory in amazement. '_Inu and Lucy are too cool,_' he thought, feeling very proud of his canines.

"May I call my colleagues Croaker, Raros and Mento?" Arcturus spoke up. "I have my opinion about this magical contract, but I'd like to hear their input as well."

"Sure," was the unison reply from various members of the family, and Harry quickly headed to the entrance hall to accompany their incoming guests to the parlour.

Once again, they watched the memory, before everyone looked at the Unspeakables in clear expectation.

Croaker was the first to voice his opinion. "Harry won't have to participate in any case. He won't lose his magic, neither his life, as he wasn't the one to initiate the magical contract," the head of the Unspeakables explained. "If at all, the person who put his name into the goblet will lose either his magic or even his life."

"Thanks Croaker, that's good to know," Harry replied, feeling absolutely relieved by the Unspeakable's statement. _'Croaker wouldn't say so if he wasn't absolutely certain,'_ he thought, having known the Unspeakable, who was not only very responsible but also extremely careful, for years.

"What about the three champions?" his father enquired.

Croaker shook his head, admitting, "I'm not sure."

"You better allow the Triwizard Tournament to take place, before you close Hogwarts," Arcturus spoke up. "You wouldn't want to kill three young people in the worst case."

"That's true," his father replied, sighing, before he turned to his mother. "Lily, Harry, is it all right for you if we don't act immediately but just inform everyone that Hogwarts will be closed at the end of the school year?"

"I think that's a good idea," his mother agreed. "We also have to consider the students who have already begun their school year at Hogwarts."

"What's going to become of Hogwarts then?" Remus spoke up, giving his father a questioning look.

"I already have an idea," James replied, smirking, and began to explain his plan.

However, Harry became distracted, when his mother asked him, "Harry, could you quickly flash to Hogwarts' parlour and inform her that Dumbledore's school will be closed at the end of the school year and we're going to take over in some form?"

"Sure," Harry replied, transformed into his phoenix form and flashed to inform the kind old castle, knowing from his mother's tales that Hogwarts would be very happy about it.

HP

In the morning, the events at Hogwarts covered the front page of the Daily Prophet.

_'Manipulation and fiasco at the choice of the champions at Hogwarts,'_ the headline informed the readers.

_'During the Halloween feast at Hogwarts, the Goblet of Fire was supposed to choose three champions for the Triwizard Tournament. However, after choosing Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff seventh-year student and son of the Potions professor Amos Diggory for Hogwarts, Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons and Viktor Krum for Durmstrang, it spat out a fourth name, that of Harry Potter of the MAMA. We all know fourteen-year-old Harry Potter and his sister Dorea as the inventors of the mobile phone for our world. This reporter knows Harry Potter as a very modest, young man, who is not likely to have any ambitions to participate in a tournament made for students from the age of seventeen onwards. The question remains who put the boy's name into the Goblet of Fire.  
The professors were still discussing this act of manipulation, as the MAMA had already declined their participation in the tournament as early as two years ago, when chaos ensued._

_According to witnesses, two small dogs – one of them is said to possibly be the Mutt who Lived – dashed into the Great Hall and peed against the Goblet of Fire. Years ago, we have already witnessed how strong the magic of the Mutt who Lived is, when he vanquished You-Know-Who and remained unscathed. The destruction of this old, magical artefact shows us that his magic tops that of the most powerful wizards and witches alive._

_We will keep you updated on the Triwizard Tournament, which according to headmistress Molly Prewitt will still take place as planned.'_

HP

A few days later, right after the last afternoon class, James, Lily and Harry headed to the Department of Education at the Ministry of Magic to speak with Griselda Marchbanks about Hogwarts.

"As the owners of Hogwarts," James began to speak, placing an official looking document from Gringotts as proof that they were the sole heirs of the founders of Hogwarts and as such the owners of the castle, "and as consequence of Albus Dumbledore's and Molly Prewitt's actions, we have decided to close the school at the end of the current school year."

Griselda Marchbanks quietly listened to their explanation, before she replied, "I fully understand, and I must say that I find it amazing how long you have waited to perform this step. I shall accept your decision, especially as your own school's record is more than remarkable. I shall inform and dissolve the Board of Governors as well as the headmistress and deputy headmaster of Hogwarts," she informed them, smiling.

"Thank you, Mrs. Marchbanks," James replied in a firm voice.

"Is there anything else that we need to do?" Lily enquired.

"No dear," Marchbanks reassured her, gently. "Do you have any plans what to do with the old castle?"

"Yes," James replied and informed the old witch about his plans, which he had already discussed with his colleagues of the extended family in detail.

"A wonderful idea, and I promise you now that I'll fully support you in this matter," the witch replied and immediately registered the data that James gave her, issuing a parchment of confirmation as they spoke.

"When are you going to inform the Board and the school?" Lily enquired, only to add, "I'd just like to know when it would be all right to speak with the Daily Prophet."

"I'll send the three owls later today, and perhaps you could give them a week's time to inform the parents, even if I don't suppose that they'll do such a thing at the present time."

"They'll wait until shortly before the holidays I suppose," James added, grimly. "Thank Merlin we have the house-elves accept all our mail, a system which we've set up specifically against Howlers from Molly Prewitt years ago."

The old witch chuckled and wished them good luck, before they took their leave and returned to the MAMA.

"That went well," Lily said, as they headed to the atrium right on time for dinner.

"I think that we opened her eyes concerning Dumbledore years ago, when we set up the MAMA," James added, seemingly contented.

HP

During the first half of Harry's fourth year, Harry and Dorea had intensely worked on setting up the Wizardnet. Unbeknownst to their extended family and of course everyone else apart from Brian, they had managed to efficiently connect the computers, which they used for their tests, to each other. They had equipped a so far empty room in the Potters' private quarters with three Merlin Strawberry computers for test purposes.

Receiving confirmation from Brian that everything was absolutely correct, they decided to give each adult of the extended family a Merlin Strawberry with Wizarding Operating System WOS 2.0 with integrated Wizardnet for Christmas.

"Once that's done, we can finally begin to make the homepage for the MAMA and show it to everyone," Dorea blurted out in apparent eagerness, which Harry could only understand all too well.

"Let's see to it that we have the page up and running by Christmas," he replied, grinning in anticipation. "With Flitwick as our head of the year, it'll be easy to get away from the common room in the evenings," he added, thoughtfully. "He'll be thrilled if I tell him that they'll all get their own Merlin Strawberry PC for Christmas."

"Ah, Poppy won't even notice, as she's busy in the evenings anyway," Dorea added, grinning, before she warned him, "Tell Flitwick to not talk about it though. We don't want anyone else to know in advance."

"Will do," Harry promised.

Two days before Christmas, they had the main page for the school running and decided to give each of the professors a voucher for a specific page for their subject in addition to the Merlin Strawberry for Christmas.

HP

In the morning of Christmas Eve, the Daily Prophet reported about the closure of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry in June, 1995. James and Lily had agreed on the measure, so that parents could discuss the matter with their children during the Christmas holidays – in case Dumbledore and Prewitt had not informed them already.

"According to Hogwarts, they haven't done anything so far," Lily told her colleagues, when the topic was brought up by the post in the Daily Prophet. "She also told me, by the way, that Molly Prewitt is teaching Transfiguration again and has been doing so ever after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament."

A collective gasp followed her explanation.

"Perhaps, he's lost his magic, when Harry didn't participate in the first task, considering that it was probably him who put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire," James replied, coolly.

"Well, then it would be his own fault," Minerva said, shaking her head in apparent annoyance.

Suddenly, Hermione approached the high table. "Mum, are you ready soon? You must help me get ready for the Yule Ball," the girl said in clear excitement, causing everyone to laugh.

"Oh Merlin, it's only half past nine in the morning," Minerva stated in apparent annoyance.

"How many hours do you need to get ready?" Sirius added, grinning.

"Well, she's going to be a beautiful partner for Percy," Arthur spoke up, smiling at Hermione, who returned an eager smile.

_'Percy and her really seem to like each other,' _Lily thought in amusement.

The twins' older brother, who had taken his NEWTs during the summer, was now working as Andromeda's apprentice in Law, while at the same time attending a course at a muggle university. He was still living at the MAMA together with his father and siblings and was supposed to replace Andromeda as the professor for Law after taking his mastery exam in two and a half years' time.

She was brought back to reality, when the other fourth-year girls approached the high table asking for assistance for the traditional ball of the now fourth-years, which was going to unofficially take place in the atrium again. _'Harry and Neville are still going to take Luna and Christa. I wonder if they're going to attend the official Yule ball in the same constellations next year,'_ she thought in amusement, feeling very contented with her sons' choices.

HP

At one of Lily's regular visits to Hogwarts to speak with the castle before paying Amaterasu a visit, the castle informed her, "Lily, I believe that Albus Dumbledore must have lost his magic. The other time, it was just temporary because of some prank, but this time, I think that it must be different. He's not doing as much as the slightest bit of magic anymore."

"Well, then we know that it was him who entered Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire and that he lost his magic because of the binding contract he created," Lily replied, matter-of-factly. "Good for him that the school in its current form is going to close at the end of the school year anyway."

HP

"Mum, Dad, when are you going to announce to the public what we're going to do with Hogwarts?" Harry asked one day during the Easter holidays.

James let out a long sigh. "Perhaps sometime during the summer holidays," he replied, shrugging. "There are still many things to consider, and the preparations will last throughout the next school year anyway."

"First of all, we have to see to it that all professors leave the castle," Lily added. "We've sent out letters to all professors asking them to clear their classrooms and personal quarters and leave Hogwarts by June 30."

HP

Hogwarts was still in full swing, however, when something happened that distracted everyone's attention for the time being.

On a sunny at the end of May, the Dragonsedge day took place, and most students from third year onwards, went to the small town for the day. Harry and his best friends, however, spent the warm Saturday afternoon on the shore of the sea studying for their end of year tests. Inu and Lucy as well as Sirius, who was chaperoning in his canine form, were cuddled against each other next to them, and Harry could not help chuckling upon hearing Lucy slightly snore, as they slept.

A short while later, Sirius motioned Inu and Lucy to go for a swim, and the three dogs dashed into the shallow sea, splashing water everywhere in apparent delight.

_'Soon, I'm going to join them,_' Harry thought to himself. '_I just need to finish this.'_

All of a sudden, however, a middle-aged man, coming seemingly out of nowhere, stepped over to Harry and threw an old shoe right into his lap. Before he knew what happened, he felt a distinctive pull behind his navel and was whisked away.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the few but kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome. My muse really appreicates the feedback._

_Next chapter: "Preparations"._


	36. Preparations

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

Together with everyone else, Neville stared at the empty spot, where his twin brother had been sitting an instant ago, realising that the man, who had thrown the Portkey at Harry, had already apparated away.

"We need to do something," he blurted out, horrified at his brother's kidnapping.

"He's on a cemetery, but he'll do all right," Luna spoke up, sounding not too worried, as she looked into the sky. "Let's go to the Unspeakables' office."

"Everyone," Neville addressed the others, "return to the school and inform the adults. Luna and I will go to see the Unspeakables."

HP

Harry found himself in what seemed to be a cemetery, where the man, whom he recognised as the one who had abducted him by the Portkey, bound him to a grave stone.

Quickly thinking, Harry waited, trying to not panic. As soon as the man turned away, he made himself invisible and transformed into his canine form, so that he was able to slip through the ropes. Knowing that he would be able to simply pop away at any time, even in his canine form, he hid behind one of the gravestones that were a bit away from the original spot to observe what was happening while being fairly safe.

'Unspeakable Ra, I was kidnapped to a graveyard, but I'm fine and safe. Just watching what's happening,' he thought to Arcturus, before he informed Inu and Neville, 'I'm fine. Just watching what's going to happen for a bit.'

'Harry, do you know where you are?' Arcturus responded immediately.

Harry looked around. Due to being in his dog form, his eyes were much better than in his human form, and he was able to read the inscription of the open grave. In front of the grave, his kidnapper and one other man seemed to be brewing something in a large cauldron. Another bowl stood a few metres away, and Harry saw an ugly creature lingering there, partly covered with black cloth.

'Here is the grave of one Tom Riddle,' Harry informed Arcturus. _'Is that Voldemort's father's grave?'_ he wondered, staring at the scene in front of him in shock.

A moment later, the adults of teams 5 and 18 along with Luna and Neville appeared right behind him, wearing their Unspeakable robes. Together, they observed how two of Voldemort's followers followed a ritual to resurrect Voldemort.

_'They needed me to get my blood,'_ he realised, when one of the men said something about "Blood of the enemy forcibly taken", only to realise that he, Harry, was gone.

"You're complete idiots," the small creature roared in apparent anger, causing Harry to grin.

"Take your own blood," one of the men hissed at the other, who then proceeded to cut his own arm willingly giving his own blood for the ritual.

"It should have been an enemy's blood, you idiots," the small creature growled.

However, the obstacle did not hinder the men to resurrect Voldemort. _'Too bad that Inu isn't here, because he was swimming, when it happened. He'd be able to completely destroy that cauldron and Voldemort with it,'_ Harry thought, when one of the men gently laid the creature into the cauldron, from where a grown man emerged just a moment later.

Together with his colleagues and friends, he observed how Voldemort shouted for his wand and, receiving it from one of the men, called his Death Eaters, exploding in anger, when only three men showed up in addition to the two who had performed the ritual.

"Where is everyone else?" he roared. "Where are my trustworthy followers?"

"Probably dead, my Lord," one of the Death Eaters replied, bowing deeply. "The ministry caught them all and sent them through the veil."

"Malfoy," Voldemort replied in apparent recognition, "Boys and Larouche. Welcome me back. Crouch and Pettigrew, thanks for performing the ritual. Since I'm complete, I might forgive you for letting Potter get away this time."

_'He hasn't seen his own ears yet,'_ Harry thought in amusement, as he took in the man's ears that looked more like a rat's ears than a human's.

"My Lord," the man whom Harry knew to be Malfoy spoke up, "why did you wish to have Potter here?"

"I wanted his blood and not that of Pettigrew," Voldemort replied in obvious anger. "He's my enemy. It's his fault that I failed thirteen and a half years ago."

"My Lord, it wasn't," Pettigrew spoke up in apparent fear. "It was Inu, the so-called Mutt who Lived, who bet you at that time, not the boy."

"Silence!" Voldemort roared. "You're telling me that my opponent of the prophecy is a dog?"

"Yes, my Lord," Pettigrew replied in a barely audible voice, causing Voldemort to see red.

When he began to punish his follower with magic, Arcturus motioned his group to leave, and Harry popped away, finding himself in the Unspeakables' quarters a moment later.

"Thank you so much for coming after me," he said, once he returned into his human form. "I suppose I need to go home though, in case they're worried."

"We'll all come with you," Arcturus spoke up, and the whole group popped right into the parlour at the MAMA, where everyone was waiting for a sign from Harry.

HP

Harry was still shocked about the happenings, not only because the evillest wizard he had ever heard of was back, but also because he had been directly involved or at least been supposed to be involved in the process.

To his relief, he did not have to explain anything. As the Unspeakables had observed everything, Arcturus took it upon himself to explain the happenings to the adults, especially to Amelia and to Alastor Moody, whom James had quickly called over.

First thing the following morning, the news was all over Britain, as the Daily Prophet reported everything they had heard from the Minister of Magic on its front page.

_'Thank Merlin Amelia never mentioned my name,'_ Harry thought in relief after skimming the article.

HP

A few days later, the Daily Prophet announced that Cedric Diggory had won the Triwizard Tournament and in the second headline reminded the magical world that Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry was going to close in about a fortnight.

On June 15, Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry closed its doors forever, and on the following day, which was the first day of the summer holidays at the MAMA as well, Lily, James and Harry headed to the castle.

"We're going to have the house-elves bond themselves to you as the new owner of Hogwarts," Lily explained to Harry, who was accompanied by Inu and Lucy.

"Why not to you?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Because you're the heir of all four founders, so you're the owner of the castle," James informed him in a firm voice. "We're only here to help you."

=You'll manage all right,= Inu spoke up, shaking his fur, when all of a sudden, the Sorting Hat appeared and sat on the canine's head. =Get off of me,= Inu yowled, however, to no avail.

"I'm going to sit here during the bonding ceremony," Sopho insisted. "Stand close to your twin."

"Barney," James called the house-elf, who – according to Hogwarts herself – was the head house-elf.

The elf appeared in a blink. "Master James, Mistress Lily, Master Harry and Master Inu," he greeted them, bowing deeply.

"Barney, will you please perform the bonding ceremony for all the Hogwarts elves to bond to Harry?"

"Yes, Master James, with pleasure," Barney replied and pointed his hand at Harry – and in addition at Inu, who was sitting between his twin's legs – reciting a long incantation.

It seemed to last for an infinite time, before Barney let his hand sink and declared, "All Hogwarts elves are now bonded to Master Harry and Master Inu."

'I feel happy, Harry, you too?' Inu thought to him, and Harry full-heartedly agreed.

'Yes, it feels good,' he thought back, still surprised that the elves were bonded to Inu as well. _'It was probably Sopho's doing,_' he thought in amusement, looking at the Sorting Hat, who was still firmly sitting on Inu's head.

"From this day onwards," Sopho suddenly spoke up, "I'm not going to sort students anymore, but it will be my turn to choose the headmasters. And no, before you protest, I have agreed on this procedure with Godric, my maker, years ago."

Before anyone could protest, he added, "I choose Harry and Inu as headmasters."

"Headmaster?" Harry replied in disbelief. "First of all, Inu and I are only fourteen, secondly, we've only finished our fourth-year, and thirdly, headmaster for what? Hogwarts is closed in case you haven't noticed."

"For the PAPA of course," Sopho replied, chuckling. "It will only open in one year's time, after you and Inu have taken your OWLs. You will be sixteen by then, and I'll be there to assist you in any case."

"Harry and Inu, don't worry about that now," their mother spoke up in a soft voice. "We have much time to thoroughly discuss the matter with Hogwarts as well as her founders." Turning to Barney, who had calmly listened to the conversation, she said, "Barney, will the house-elves please see to it that everyone – and I mean everyone including the former headmistress and her deputy – leave the castle during the rest of this month?"

Barney bowed deeply before promising, "Mistress Lily, the house-elves will see to it."

"Barney," Harry spoke up in a soft voice. "How many house-elves are here, who are bonded to Inu and me now?"

"397 house-elves, Master Harry," Barney replied, promptly.

"May I speak to all of them, please?" Harry enquired.

"If Master Harry wishes to do so," Barney said, pensively, "maybe we should do this in the Great Hall though."

Everyone agreed, and the Potters headed into the – fortunately empty – Great Hall.

After banishing the four house tables with a flick of his hand, Barney called the elves and informed them that they were now bonded to Harry and Inu.

Harry stepped in front of the group and addressed the elves.

"Dear elves of Hogwarts castle. I'd like to thank you all for working for Inu, me and in addition to my parents, Lily and James Potter. I'd like to speak with each of you for a moment, and at this time, I have one request." Realising that they were hanging on his lips, he added, "Please see to it that everyone, human or possibly Animagus, as well as any familiars of them, leave the castle within a fortnight. I will ask Hogwarts herself to adjust the wards to not let them in anymore if not on our request."

"Yes, Master Harry," the elves chorused.

"Done!" a voice, whom Harry knew as that of Hogwarts, informed him.

"Thank you, Hogwarts," Harry replied, smiling, only to add, "and thank you, my dear elves."

Informing his parents that they could return to the MAMA, as Inu and he would follow later on, he asked the elves to step in front of him, one by one, so that he could speak a few words with each of them.

During the next five hours, he spoke with each of the elves and asked them for their name, what they had been doing at Hogwarts so far and if they had any requests for him as the new owner.

There were a few elves, whose name he would not forget, such as little Jana, who asked him if she could bring something to drink for Inu and him – an offer that was very much appreciated after two hours of small talk with the elves.

By the time Harry and Inu returned to the MAMA, they felt somehow accomplished. =I think that was even more of a bonding than the earlier ceremony,= Inu muttered, as they walked through the empty corridors of the MAMA, where everyone was gathered in the atrium for dinner.

"I think so, too," Harry replied, smiling.

HP

During the summer holidays, Lily, James, Harry and Inu saw to the renovation of the old castle, which had never before been as empty as it was now, with Hogwarts' and the elves' assistance.

One day, when the four Potters came to visit her in the parlour of the founders' quarters, Hogwarts greeted them in apparent excitement.

"Please do me a favour," she added. "Place your hands or paws against my wall to support me with your magic. Will you do that for me? It might be a tad tiring for you though."

"Of course, Hogwarts," Harry was the first to reply. He headed to the nearby wall and firmly placed his right hand against it, noticing that his parents followed his example. Inu stepped right next to the wall under his own, outstretched arm, and put his right front paw against the wall in apparent determination.

A moment later, he heard a whispered "Thank you," before he felt his magic drain.

'I wonder what she's doing,' he thought to Inu, who turned his head upwards and gave him a reassuring look.

'I think she's modernizing herself,' the canine thought back.

It seemed like an infinite time to Harry, before the castle finally informed them, "All done. All my walls are clean and fresh now. Thank you so very much for your help. I hope that you're not too tired now."

"We'll be fine," Lily replied, smiling, as they all took their hands and paw from the walls.

"Your stone looks stunning," James commented, pointing at the nearest wall.

Harry let out a gasp. The wall that had been fairly dark and cold before, was now looking much brighter and warmer.

"Well done, Hogwarts," he added, thinking, _'If the whole castle is done this way, it was worth being a bit tired now. It's nothing compared to what she achieved.'_

They quickly said good-bye to the castle and headed home to the MAMA to drink a dose of Pepperup potion.

Harry smiled, as he observed how Lily gently held out a spoonful of the liquid to Inu, who efficiently licked the potion off the spoon, sighing in apparent relief, when he felt the immediate effects.

HP

Too soon for Harry's liking, a very busy summer led into an even busier fifth school year. As it was their OWL year, the teachers burdened them with double the amount of homework as in the previous years.

"Thank Merlin we already know how to dance," Hermione said one day.

"Yeah, I can't believe that everyone else had their Dancing class during fifth year," Christa added, and Susan nodded her consent.

"It will be interesting to see if the boys manage to invite us as their partners," Daphne spoke up, smirking.

'_Oh right, no one but the family knows that we had our own Yule Balls for three years now,'_ Harry thought in amusement, wondering whom he should invite. During the last three years, he had attended the unofficial Yule ball of the family together with Luna. _'Do I have to invite a girl from our class?'_ he wondered, when he recalled that Hermione had attended the official ball together with Percy three times now. He pondered the matter for a few days and only made his decision, when Dorea admitted to him in secret that Draco had invited her to the ball.

_'Oh, then I'll just invite Luna again,'_ he decided. _'I just hope that she'll accept even for the official ball.'_

HP

One day after their Unspeakable training on a Saturday morning, he kept Luna back. "Luna, will you come with me for a moment?" he asked in a soft voice. "I'd like to speak with you in private."

"Of course," Luna replied, giving him a broad smile.

Returning the smile, Harry reached out for her hand and popped the two of them right into the founders' quarters at Hogwarts, where the founders greeted them with enthusiasm.

"They know both of us from their portraits at the MAMA. I don't know why they make such a fuss," he mumbled, only to find him chastised by Salazar Slytherin.

Ignoring the founder's outburst for once, Harry motioned Luna to take a seat on the sofa in the living room, which his mother had conjured a few months ago.

Trying to look at the girl instead of the floor, he said, hesitantly, "Luna, would you like to accompany me to the official Yule Ball this year?"

_'Ah, thank Merlin, I said it,'_ he thought in relief, letting out an unconscious sigh, before he hesitantly looked up only to see her smile at him in apparent amusement.

"Of course, Harry," she said, matter-of-factly. "Thank you so much for inviting me. I'm going to attend many Yule Balls together with you, you know," she added, giving him a dreamy look.

HP

There was only one thing that was different to the preparations for the unofficial Yule Ball. The participants of the official Yule Ball needed to get dress robes.

Harry was extremely glad that his mother accompanied him and Neville to Madam Malkin's branch in Dragonsedge during the first Dragonsedge day of the school year to buy dress robes for the twins as well as for Inu and Lucy. While Neville's and Harry's dress robes were dark blue with light green edges, the small robes for Inu were red and those for Lucy orange.

"Thank Merlin they're doing the robes for the canines as well," Lily uttered on their way back to the MAMA. "I really don't have the time to make dress robes for them."

"Couldn't you simply transfigure their school robes into dress robes?" Neville enquired.

"Yes, I could, but they're not as good as probably made ones, and for the official Yule ball, they should be proper ones," Lily replied, smiling at the canines, who were walking between Harry and Neville.

HP

Three days before the Yule Ball, the leaving feast took place, as the younger students and some of the older ones were going to return home with the MAMA Express the following morning.

Between the main course and the dessert, James stood from his chair to address the students.

"I'd like to make an announcement," he began to speak. "As many of you might know, Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry has closed its doors at the end of the last school year. Now, what most of you probably do not know is that our Harry here is the owner of Hogwarts castle. For a few years now, we have considered what to do with the castle after closing up Hogwarts."

He interrupted himself, when Sopho dashed into the atrium placing himself onto his head. "It's my thing to announce," the former Sorting Hat spoke up in a firm voice.

"No Sopho, be quiet for once," James replied. However, his attempt to continue his explanations was hindered by the Hat's loud scream of protest that was soon joined by Inu's barks.

=Shut up, Sopho, and let Daddy speak,= he growled at the ancient artefact – to no avail.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the few but kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapte . My muse really appreicates the feedback._

_Next chapter: "The PAPA"._


	37. The PAPA

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

While Harry and his classmates were busy studying for their OWLs and Harry for his Potions NEWT in addition, the adults of the extended family spent all their free time preparing everything for the new addition to the MAMA.

The **Potter Academy for Progress and Adeptness PAPA **was going to open its doors at the beginning of the next school year. It was an academy for students who wished to study muggle subjects in combination with magical masteries.

"How are Inu and I going to be the headmasters of the PAPA considering that we still have to attend two years of school at the MAMA, before we can take our NEWTs?" Harry asked one evening, when the extended family was sitting together during the first week of the summer holidays.

"Harry," Minerva spoke up first, "first of all, we, your father and I, will help you in our positions as headmistress and deputy headmaster of the MAMA. You don't have to take the headmaster's position at the PAPA immediately, as the two schools are going to belong together anyway."

"Thank Merlin," Harry blurted out in relief.

"Secondly," Lily continued, "you should think about what you wish to do in the future and in which subjects you'll need the NEWTs at all."

"We also thought," James took over, "that you might be interested in teaching two classes, one," he continued, ignoring Harry's gasp, "being an Animagus class for interested students, which would only take one or two hour per week, perhaps right before or after dinner, so that some MAMA students could participate as well."

"The second would be Computer studies for all interested students of the PAPA," Minerva continued. "This would also be one or two hours a week."

"I'd like to assist with that," Dorea spoke up, giving Harry a pleading look.

"Sure," he agreed, casting his sister a mischievous grin, before he remained thoughtful for a moment.

"Oh well, in that case, I should probably take my NEWTs in Transfiguration and Charms in any case," he then uttered.

=And Alchemy,= Inu added in apparent excitement. =I'm going to do the same.=

"And perhaps Alchemy," Harry translated.

"See Harry and Inu, it's not going to be too much work for the two of you to handle," Minerva said, gently.

"Excuse me," Hermione spoke up, "what else will be taught at the PAPA?"

"Various things," Minerva replied, glancing at her colleagues and, seeing several of them nod in agreement, continued. "Regina is going to research and also teach a Magical Approach on Muggle Biology, Emma will teach Muggle Medicine, Dan Muggle Technology, such as, for example 3D printing, Severus will be responsible for Potions Research, while Lily will take over his classes at the MAMA and be the deputy headmistress at the PAPA. Brian will assist Harry with Computer Studies, and we will have classes for Elf Science and Goblin Science. We are also considering offering Molly Prewitt to teach Magical Housekeeping."

"Will we be able to attend some of the classes instead of some of the subjects here, which won't be necessary for us in the future?" Hermione asked with apparent interest.

"That should be possible," Minerva confirmed, explaining that they were going to make a shortcut door between the two entrance halls of the MAMA and the PAPA.

"Who is going to teach Elf Science and Goblin Science?" Remus enquired with apparent interest.

"Our Gina has introduced us to Bandhu, who is one of the Elder Elves living on the Isle of Elves, and he has agreed to teach at the PAPA three days a week," James explained. "Lily and I have also spoken with Buckbean, our account manager at Gringotts, and his wife, Gwenlin, has offered to teach Goblin Science equally three days a week. Both of them will only come to the PAPA on their class days and will otherwise continue living on the Isle of Elves and Goblin Island, as both have families there."

"Have many graduates registered for the PAPA?" Dorea enquired.

"Yes. Almost 70 percent of the graduates from the MAMA decided to continue studying at the PAPA," James replied, letting out a deep sigh. "As appreciated as it is, we're going to meet our limits very soon if that continues over the next few years."

"In the worst case, we have to limit access to the PAPA to those who graduated with solely Os and Es in their NEWTs," Regina suggested, smirking.

"That might be necessary," Minerva agreed, pensively.

'Oh well, we're going to have much fun in any case,' Inu thought to Harry, who cast him a flabbergasted look.

'Sounds more like responsibility than fun,' he thought back, inwardly groaning.

"One more question," Hermione spoke up, "how is Inu going to be one of the headmasters, although he can't communicate with anyone who is not a dog Animagus?"

Lily smiled, as she replied, "That is not a problem, as I've invented a charm for Inu that'll enable him to speak human language." Turning to Inu, she enquired, "Inu, do you want me to cast it at you now?"

=Will I still be able to do doggy talk?= Inu asked, sounding slightly grumpy to Harry.

"Of course," their mother reassured the canine. "You'll be able to choose in which language to communicate."

=All right then,= Inu replied, nodding at their mother in agreement.

Lily nodded in understanding and cast the charm at the smallest of her babies.

"Thank you, Mum," Inu replied in human speech, causing a series of "Aww"s and "Ohh"s to fill the room.

HP

During the remaining weeks of the holidays, Harry prepared his own classroom as well as his office. He divided the room into two parts and equipped one half with eight desks and chairs, ready to place eight Merlin Strawberry PCs into the room. After discussing the matter with Dorea and Brian, he decided on four Merlin Strawberry PCs with Wizarding Operating System WOS 1.0 and four with the Wizarding Operating System WOS 2.0, the ones with the integrated Wizardnet.

"If necessary, we can always upgrade the WOS 1.0 ones," he said in determination.

Luna and Christa helped him decorate the other half, which he was going to use for his Animagus class. They turned the room in a comfortable meeting room that was equipped with comfortable sofas as well as cushions for those who wanted to practise on the floor.

"Too bad that I'm already an Animagus; I'd love to take that class," Hermione commented, when she and Susan came to inspect the finished room.

=It's brilliant,= Lucy announced and pulled Inu into one of their mock fights making a huge mess of all the cushions on the floor.

Harry and the girls watched the canines in exasperation; however, when both canines finished playing, Inu stuck his right front paw into his robe pocket, pulling out the Elder Wand, before he cleaned up the room with a flick of the wand.

"Thanks Inu," Harry said, smiling, before he ushered everyone outside and locked the room for the time being.

HP

When Hogwarts had been closed by her new owners, Albus Dumbledore had returned to Dumbledore Manor. He had his trustworthy house-elves staying at the manor, and his personal house-elf Twinkle, who had lived with him at Hogwarts for about a century, kept him company, even at home. His only problem was that he had lost his magic during the Triwizard Tournament, and he was fairly certain that it was a permanent matter.

_'What am I going to do?'_ he pondered again, just as he had done so many times, almost on a daily basis after he had returned to the manor fifteen months ago.

All of a sudden, a headline in the Daily Prophet caught his eyes.

'_Computer classes at the PAPA'_ it said, and the text underneath explained that one Harry Potter was going to teach Computer Science at the newly found Academy that replaced his beloved Hogwarts.

_'Computers it is,'_ he thought in determination, as he readied himself for a trip into the muggle world to do some research about possibilities to study Computer Science at a muggle university_. 'Thank Merlin, I found something to do,'_ he thought in anticipation of all the pranks he would be able to do against the Potters. _'It's them who have caused my downfall,'_ he thought, grimly.

HP

Once the school year began, everything played out as planned, and Harry was attending three of the sixth-year classes at the MAMA, teaching his own two classes at the PAPA and being the headmaster of the PAPA on top of everything. _'Thank Merlin Inu does everything together with me,'_ he thought in relief.

He was just getting used to his new situation, when something happened that shook the magical world to its core.

When the extended family minus the children who were still staying in the MAMA dormitories was sitting in the parlour for tea like every evening, Amelia brought Alastor Moody with her.

"Last night," the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement informed them, "someone broke into the Department of Magical Mysteries, to be specific, into the Hall of Prophecy – something that no one has ever done before. From the magical cameras observing the Department of Magical Mysteries as well as the Unspeakables' Office, we assume that it was a handful of Death Eaters. Unfortunately, we were too late to catch any of them."

"What did they do?" Harry spoke up, somehow having a bad feeling about the matter, considering that Voldemort was involved, even if only indirectly.

"We suppose," Moody replied, sighing, "that Voldemort wanted to hear the prophecy concerning himself and the Mutt who Lived. However, apparently, he was too scared to come by himself."

"The problem – or the good thing, depending on the point of view – is that only he or Inu would be able to take the prophecy orb off the shelf," Arcturus explained.

"What if we go there, have Inu take it down and destroy it?" Harry suggested, glancing at his familiar, who nodded his consent.

"We'll do that tomorrow; however, we're going to have other Unspeakable teams guard our path," Arcturus decided.

"I'll accompany you," Moody offered, and Arcturus nodded in understanding.

"Thanks Moody," the older wizard replied, and the Unspeakables agreed to head to the Hall of Prophecy at ten o'clock the following morning.

_'Thank Merlin I don't have to teach classes until after the last afternoon class at the MAMA,'_ Harry thought in relief.

HP

The Hall of Prophecy was very impressive, even if dark and cold. At least Harry and Inu thought so, when they entered the large room together with Arcturus, Regulus and Alastor Moody. It was full with shelves containing hundreds of small glass orbs with prophecies.

"There it is," Arcturus informed them, pointing at a slightly dusty orb with the inscription '_Sybill Trelawney's prophecy concerning Tom Riddle and Inu Potter, 1980'_.

"Dog Hero, can you take it down for us?" Arcturus asked his team member.

Inu gave the boss a sharp nod, before he pointed the Elder wand at the orb and carefully made it float down right into Harry's hands.

"Sir, is it safe enough for us to hear it here?" Harry asked the old wizard, who gave him a sharp nod.

"Our colleagues will see to it," he replied, just when the orb came into life.

An image of a witch came into view above the orb who spoke in a raspy voice.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

"What do you want to do? Shall we change the content or just destroy it?" Moody asked in a sharp voice, giving Inu and Harry a questioning look.

"I'm not afraid of him. Let's just destroy it," Inu replied, choosing the human language for once, only to add, =Harry, can you place it onto the ground?=

As soon as Harry obeyed, Inu pointed his wand at the orb, uttering, =Evanesco.=

_'That's not the correct spell, is it?'_ Harry thought in confusion, only to realise that while the orb was intact, it was void of its content. _'That means the prophecy is gone,'_ he thought, contentedly.

"Very well done, Dog Hero," Arcturus commended him, as he picked up the empty orb and placed it back onto the shelf in apparent amusement.

Harry inwardly sighed in relief, when they returned to the Unspeakables' Office. "That place was too cold and dark for my liking," he uttered to Inu, who full-heartedly agreed.

HP

It was late on Christmas Eve that Voldemort himself made his way into the Hall of Prophecy. Unfortunately, no one noticed it until it was too late. The Unspeakables' monitoring devices showed how he threw a temper tantrum upon realising that the orb was empty, tortured his three companions and finally set the whole room on fire, before he apparated away.

Only the alarm who alerted the Unspeakables to the fire made them realise what had happened earlier.

"Thank Merlin Inu destroyed the prophecy a few weeks ago," Harry uttered, when Arcturus informed the extended family about the matter at lunchtime.

_'Too bad that they couldn't capture Voldemort,' _he thought, when a small voice from the back of his mind replied, _'No one can simply catch him. If anyone can do anything against him, it'll be Inu, just as the prophecy said.'_

HP

To everyone's relief, even if Harry had a feeling of uneasiness about it, Voldemort remained unseen for more than eight months.

Only when Harry's, Neville's and Inu's seventh year at the MAMA commenced, attacks on muggles and families of muggleborn students began again.

"This time, it's probably Voldemort himself," Alastor Moody informed them. "Apparently, he's recruiting new followers, considering that he attacked three places at once on Saturday night."

During lunchtime at the MAMA the following day, Regina spoke to the students.

"Voldemort and his new Death Eaters have begun to attack the families of muggleborn students again. Some of you might remember staying at Lestrange Manor about ten years ago, when we had a similar situation. Please inform your parents that we once more offer them refuge at Lestrange Manor. Please tell them that they can contact me from their muggle telephone by dialling 000013 or my husband Brian by dialling 000003."

"Professor Lestrange," one of the fourth-years spoke up, questioningly, "will I be able to call my parents in the muggle world from my mobile phone? I thought it only worked in the magical world."

"You can contact any phone number by dialling three Zeros at the beginning. The same applies for phone calls from the muggle to the magical world," Brian explained, smirking. "In fact, this is part of a special agreement, which I've made with Buckingham Palace a few months ago."

"Professor, isn't that a breech of the statute of secrecy?" one of the sixth-years enquired.

"No," Brian replied, smirking. "The Buckingham Palace is already aware of magic, because the Queen is a witch."

A huge gasp went through the atrium at the revelation. "Harry," Brian addressed him, noticing that he was sitting together with the seventh-years. "The queen wishes you to prepare a Merlin Strawberry for her as well as a homepage for the Buckingham Palace on the Wizardnet. She told me that she will contact you during the summer holidays next year."

"All right," Harry replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

Just ten hours later, Lestrange Manor was full with refugees from the muggle world, most of the refugees being families of muggleborn students from the MAMA.

"If the situation wasn't as dire, I'd almost say it's nice to be back," one of the women told Regina and Brian, and several others nodded their agreement.

HP

During the whole school year, Voldemort and his Death Eaters kept attacking muggle families and even whole villages left and right. The extended family at the MAMA spent much time holding intense discussions how to keep the MAMA and the PAPA safe.

As most of the students at the PAPA were adults, they were allowed to go into Hogsmeade, whenever they wanted. On Saturday afternoons, when most of the students used to spend their time at the small town, the gates usually stood wide open.

It was on a rainy Saturday afternoon in the middle of June, just a week before the end of the school year, when Hogwarts suddenly alerted Harry to the fact that Voldemort had just entered the grounds of the PAPA together with about a dozen followers.

'Inu,' Harry thought to his familiar, knowing that he was playing with Lucy in the park at the MAMA, while he was working on a few homepages for the Ministry of Magic, knowing that he would probably have to make a page for the Queen during the summer. 'Voldemort is going to attack the PAPA in a moment. Come with me and help me kill him.'

'I'll be there in a blink,' Inu replied, and a few minutes later, Harry and his familiar met in the entrance hall of the PAPA along with team 5 and 18 of the Unspeakables, whom he had alerted in the meantime.

"Turn invisible," Arcturus instructed both teams, and everyone immediately complied.

'Perhaps I'm not just going to kill him though. I have an idea,' Inu thought to Harry, as they slowly left the castle through the entrance doors, causing Harry to stare at his familiar in disbelief.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. My muse really appreicates the feedback._

_Next chapter: "Foes, friends and family"._


	38. Foes, friends and family

**The Mutt who Lived  
****by Teddylonglong**

_All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_**Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.**_

_**If you don't like my stories, don't read them. I am only writing for my own fun and for those, who like reading my stories.**_

* * *

"Please take care of the Death Eaters. I shall deal with Voldemort," Inu addressed the Unspeakables in human speech, pulling the Elder wand out of his robe pocket, as he dashed ahead.

_'Thank Merlin he's invisible to everyone but us,'_ Harry thought, as he followed his colleagues and friends onto the grounds of the castle. As soon as they had reached a sufficiently close enough distance to efficiently cast spells, they quickly fired one spell after the next at the ten hooded men accompanying Voldemort.

Before Voldemort could do as much as react, his followers were lying on the ground, not only stunned, but also too badly hurt to get up again.

Growling in anger, the evil wizard began to wildly fire spells in their direction; however, the Unspeakables' shield charm held for the moment.

They observed how Inu pointed the Elder wand at Voldemort and cast a spell, of which they did not know what it was. However, it became quickly clear that the evil wizard, as many spells as he sent against their shield, was not able to cast any magic whatsoever.

_'Has he made him a Squib?'_ Harry wondered, when he observed Inu casting another spell that made Voldemort turn into a small, white bunny that was just a little smaller than Inu.

=This is our bunny to play with,= Inu announced, before he repeated the same in human language, only to add, "He doesn't have magic anymore."

Just then, a small group of girls, who were students at the PAPA, returned from Hogsmeade, and one of them picked the bunny up, cuddling it close.

"Oh Merlin, it's so cute," her friend blurted out, gently caressing the bunny's ears, which slightly looked like those of a rat.

"I wonder what it's doing here," another girl said. "Shall we take it with us? Perhaps Professor Lupin will know what to do with it."

"Yeah, let's go to the MAMA. It's ages since we went there," the girl, who was carrying the rabbit, agreed, and the group headed inside.

"Well, that was interesting," Arcturus spoke up, once the girls had entered the castle carrying the rabbit.

"We should still keep an eye on him," Harry replied. "Perhaps he'll get his magic back and will be able to transform back."

"He won't," Inu contradicted in a firm voice.

"Nevertheless, we should tell Remus what the matter is with the bunny," Neville stated, and the group slowly followed the girls through the connecting door into the MAMA.

"Inu," Harry whispered, when they headed out into the park looking for Remus, "why exactly didn't you kill Voldemort? You know the prophecy."

Inu smirked. =Ask Lucy,= he replied, before he dashed away in apparent excitement. "He's a present for her."

Following his familiar with his eyes in disbelief, Harry realised that Lucy was already in the park chasing the white bunny all over the grounds in apparent pleasure.

HP

Later in the evening, the extended family discussed what to do with the bunny. While several family members demanded that Inu should simply kill the bunny, others voiced that the bunny would make a good pet for the four-year-olds of the Unicorn class.

"Rubbish," Minerva said in a firm voice. "If the four-year-olds need a bunny to play, we can get them one. It doesn't have to be the evillest wizard of the world."

"I have an idea," Amelia suddenly spoke up, pensively. "In three weeks' time, it's Albus Dumbledore's 150th birthday. Why don't the Unspeakables gift him a rabbit for his birthday meal? We could ask the elves to prepare him accordingly."

Everyone remained quiet, before Sirius blurted out, "What a brilliant idea. Meli, you're the best."

The whole family, including Inu who knew that it would be his task to give the bunny the final bite, agreed_. 'He won't survive it if Lucy and I play with him together anyway,'_ he thought, not feeling sorry at all for the evil creature.

HP

To his great surprise, Albus Dumbledore received a ready-to-cook rabbit for his 150th birthday. Ever since leaving Hogwarts and retreating to his home, he did not have any contact to the magical world – apart from closely following the Daily Prophet on a daily basis. In fact, he was attending the Computer Science course at Oxford University and was solely living in the muggle world.

"The elf who brought it told me that it's from the Unspeakables," Twinkle informed him. "Shall we prepare it for tonight's dinner?"

"Yes please," Albus agreed, knowing that the elves would prepare a delicious meal for him. _'Who of the Unspeakables would send me such a gift?'_ he wondered, while he absentmindedly studied for his class.

A few hours later, he was half through his birthday meal, thoroughly enjoying himself, when Fawkes flashed into the room handing him a letter from Harry Potter.

_'Dear Mr. Dumbledore,  
we hope that you are enjoying your meal and won't get sick by it, as the bunny is Tom Riddle AKA Lord Voldemort in his pet form. My family members were wondering why you did not attend any Wizengamot meeting since the Triwizard Tournament, so we thought to look after you.  
Sincerely  
Harry Potter  
P.S. Happy birthday.'_

"What?" Albus blurted out, before he rushed into the bathroom for his stomach to get rid of everything that he had eaten so far. By the time he returned to the dining room, Fawkes was gone and the remains of his dinner as well as the letter from Harry Potter, too, causing Albus to wonder if he had been hallucinating.

"Twinkle," he called his most trusted elf. "Could you bring me some fruit to eat, please? And some lemon drops, too," he added as an afterthought.

HP

On the trio's eighteenth birthday a few weeks later, Inu received the Order of Merlin first class for the demise of Tom Riddle AKA Lord Voldemort.

'Harry,' Inu thought to his twin, 'this is too much of a hassle for me. Can we go for a walk to the shore, just only you and me and Lucy and Luna please?'

'Of course,' Harry thought back, fully understanding his twin's problem.

"Luna, will you come with us for a walk?" he asked the girl, who immediately agreed, casting him a happy look.

_'She's beautiful,'_ Harry thought, eyeing Luna in her white summer one-piece with embroideries of wild flowers in amazement. "Luna," he heard himself speak up like from far away, "will you become my wife?"

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, while he stood and – just like Inu and Lucy – stared at the girl in question, who was glancing over the shore, seemingly unfocused.

"Of course, Harry. Thanks for asking," she finally replied, giving him a loving smile. "I'd love to become your wife," she added, dreamily.

"Thanks for being you and for making me so happy," Harry replied, before he leaned over to capture her mouth with his lips.

HP

With the beginning of the new school year, Harry, Inu and Lucy moved into the founders' quarters at Hogwarts, much to the castle's delight.

Luna was still a full-time student at the MAMA in her seventh year and head girl. She had agreed with Minerva, James and Lily to remain at the school and become a student advisor for all students of the MAMA and PAPA, so that she felt it important to continue all subjects until the NEWTs. However, due to being of age in the magical world, she was not requested to live in the dormitory anymore and thus decided to join Harry in the founders' quarters, even if they were only fiancées and not married yet. If any of the students needed her and knocked at the supposed-to-be the head girl's room, an alarm sounding the founders' quarters would instantly alert her to the fact.

Neither her father nor Harry's parents seemed to mind, let alone Inu and Lucy. It was in the evening of the day when Luna moved into Harry's room that Lucy decided to bond with the young witch, causing them both to become very happy.

In the morning of Christmas Eve, just when Harry and Luna were discussing whether or not to attend the Yule Ball at the MAMA, that Inu informed them that their puppies were going to be born shortly.

"Puppies?" Harry asked in surprise, muttering, "I didn't know that you were getting puppies."

"Men," Luna chuckled, rolling her eyes in apparent amusement, before she placed a quick kiss onto his cheek to make up for it. "Of course, Lucy has been pregnant for a while," she then explained, giving him a dreamy look.

Late in the evening, when the Yule Ball was still in full swing, which they were both missing in favour of assisting with the puppies' birth, Lucy gave birth to six naked puppies.

"Oh Merlin, they're so cute," Luna blurted out, causing Harry to agree full-heartedly.

=You can keep them a secret from your friends and give each of them one for their wedding,= Inu suggested, causing Luna and Harry to agree immediately.

When Luna had told their friends that she and Harry were planning to get married during the summer after her NEWTs, their friends had spontaneously decided to make it a quadruple wedding. Neville had already proposed to Christa, Percy to Hermione and George to Susan, and each of the girls had happily accepted. Only Draco and Dorea would remain fiancées for another year, before Dorea would have taken her NEWTs. _'I wonder if they really manage to wait for another year,' _Harry thought in amusement, knowing that Draco and Dorea had been in love with each other for years.

"Should we keep one of them for ourselves then?" Luna asked, gently.

=No,= Inu replied in a firm voice. =We can make more puppies at any time. Just give one to Dad, as he still doesn't have a familiar at all yet.=

James was thrilled to say the least, when he received a completely white puppy for his birthday at the end of March.

All the other puppies remained living in the founders' quarters with regular excursions to the roof garden at the PAPA that was unknown to anyone but Harry, Lily, James and Luna. Only in the morning of their wedding day on the first of July, 1999, they presented the puppies to the four other couples.

"We don't care that I still have to attend a few classes," Dorea told him, as she cradled the puppy close, which was a spitting image of Inu. "We're going to get married today, too."

"Well, I'm really glad that you're going to be my assistant soon," Harry replied. "I'm really busy with all the requests coming from all over the magical world."

HP

Only on the day after their wedding should he know how right he had been. When he entered his office before breakfast the following morning, his Merlin Strawberry showed nothing but '_Albus Dumbledore congratulates you to your wedding.'_

He restarted the PC, however, to no avail. _'What the hell did that old coot do?'_ he wondered, only to panic upon realising that all eight PCs in the classroom did the same.

'_At least my mobile phone works,'_ he thought, as he urgently phone called Dorea and Brian asking both of them over immediately.

In the end, they had to do the complete software installations on all nine PCs again.

"Oh well, at least the PCs at the MAMA are not affected," Dorea said, letting out a deep sigh.

"That's true, and we're going to install the Wizarding Operating System WOS 3.0 with integrated Anti Gremlin Software on these, and we should upgrade the ones at the MAMA as soon as possible, too," Harry replied, grinning as he showed his sister and Brian the new software, which he had developed during the last few months. "Brian, could you perhaps contact the Queen and suggest installing the new software with the anti-virus software for her as well?"

"That's a good idea," Brian agreed. "As the head of muggle Britain, she could be more susceptible to attacks like this one. I didn't even know that Dumbledore was a computer geek."

"Nor did I," Harry admitted. "Perhaps he just knows someone who did this for him. I don't think that it was a magical attack."

"I have an idea," Dorea spoke up, thoughtfully. "May I try something at your computer, Harry?"

"Of course," Harry replied, staring after his sister in surprise, when she dashed into his office.

A few minutes later, she returned, grinning mischievously. "I just returned it to him, telling him to leave us in peace with muggle methods," she admitted, seemingly proud of her achievement.

"That was well done," Harry commended her, "but please tell me how you did that."

By the time the new school year commenced, all PCs at the MAMA, PAPA and at the Ministry of Magic including the Unspeakables' Office as well as the Buckingham Palace were equipped with the new Wizarding Operating System WOS 3.0 with integrated Anti Gremlin Software, which Harry immediately got patented in the magical as well as the muggle world – just like his Merlin Strawberry system as well as his mobile phone.

"Thank Merlin that Charlus and Regulus are so interested in the computers," Harry said to Dorea, observing his younger brother and Sirius' first-born play a game against each other in his computer classroom. "We really need some efficient support in the near future, even if it'll take four more years, before they'll finish the MAMA."

**_Five years later…_**

Harry and Luna were sitting at the high table in the atrium of the MAMA, where the welcoming and leaving feasts for all students of the MAMA and PAPA used to take place, waiting for the students to arrive for the new school year. Their first-born twins, Blossom and Ebony, were sitting between them.

"Mummy," Blossom spoke up with the high, pitchy voice of a four-year old.

"Why is Inu sitting at the high table with the teachers?" her twin continued.

"Shouldn't he sit under the table like Barkymort is sitting on Granddad's feet?"

"Inu is sitting at the table, because he's the headmaster of the PAPA," Harry replied, smiling.

"And why…"

"… is a dog the headmaster?"

"… We thought that was you," the twins continued, making Harry inwardly groaned.

"Inu is the headmaster together with me, because he has received Os in all subjects in his OWLs and NEWTs," Harry explained to his children.

"And because he's the Mutt who Lived," Luna added, wearing a dreamy expression, just when the students stormed into the atrium, seemingly ready for a new school year.

**The End**

_A huge thanks to the kind readers who supported my muse throughout this story by their kind reviews. _

_Several readers asked me to make Inu a human Animagus. Sorry, but Inu is not an imaginary character but my own muggle dog, and he cannot and will not turn into a human. _

_I hope you had as much fun reading this story as I had writing it._


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